Koppert collaborates to launch free biocontrol tool

The CABI* BioProtection Portal – an online resource to raise awareness of biological crop protection options for growers – has been launched in Kenya. Koppert Biological Systems is one of the partners to share its expertise to produce an innovative free-to-use tool to help growers reduce their reliance on chemical pesticides and produce safer and healthier food.

 

The launch comes as CABI and its partners mark the inaugural International Year of Plant Health which aims to raise awareness of the importance of plant health in addressing world hunger, poverty, threats to the environment and economic development.

 

The BioProtection Portal will be particularly beneficial for growers looking to replace chemical pesticides with biological products in order to meet market or export standards, satisfy consumer demands for healthier and safer food, and reduce pressures on the environment.

 

Users of the portal enter their country and crop pest problem query to start a search which generates information on biocontrol and biopesticide products that are authorized by national regulators for that specific search. Information is sourced directly from national governments’ lists or registered pesticides, and from partner biocontrol manufacturers.

 

The portal will be rolled out to a further 10-15 countries in multiple languages this year, including Spain, Brazil, Uganda and Bangladesh. In 2021, more countries will follow. It is the aim that this tool becomes a global go-to resource for information on biocontrol and biopesticide products.