Pandemic gardening trends are boosting near-term pesticide sales

Increased home gardening activity and commercial investment in greenspaces like office gardens will boost demand for pesticides in the US and other affluent countries with significant lawn and garden cultures through 2021, according to a new Freedonia Group analysis:

• Increased time at home led many homeowners to take over their own lawn and garden maintenance activities, either because of budget restrictions or because the homeowner was adopting gardening as a hobby.

• As offices reopen, employers are increasingly installing gardens and other greenspace elements to provide employees access to the hobbies they picked up working from home during the pandemic, promoting pesticide sales.

Although the share of households with active gardeners is expected to fall off over time as homeowners revert to the use of landscaping and gardening services for managing lawn and garden pest control, the consumer base of home gardeners will remain elevated, supporting demand for value-added, consumer-friendly pesticides.

Global Pesticide Market to Grow 3.4% Annually Through 2025

Global demand for formulated pesticides is forecast to increase 3.4% per year to $95 billion in 2025, supported mostly by growth in the dominant agricultural market due to:

• increasing agricultural productivity on a per hectare basis

• changes in crop mix, increased access to a wider range of pesticide formulations, and improved farmer education

Although the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the various sectors of the global pesticide industry differently, the overall market was largely sustained by the fact that agriculture and food production are "essential" activities. As a result, demand for agricultural pesticides was not substantially affected, though there were some instances where global production and trade of active ingredients and other necessary components were disrupted.

Through 2025, the commercial and consumer pesticide markets will see the fastest gains in countries with expanding middle classes and abundant space for gardening and other outdoor recreation.