FAO promotes bioinputs as a strategic response to fertilizer market volatility and climate change

In response to rising agricultural production costs, increasing volatility in international markets and the growing impacts of climate change on agriculture, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is strengthening its work across Latin America and the Caribbean to promote the use of bioinputs as a strategic tool for building more resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.

Between 1990 and 2023, the use of chemical fertilizers in the Americas increased by more than 200 percent. At the same time, recent international tensions and disruptions in energy and fertilizer markets have exposed the region’s strong dependence on imported inputs, leaving countries vulnerable to external shocks and sharp price volatility.

Bioinputs, including biofertilizers, biopesticides and biostimulants, can help reduce dependence on conventional inputs, improve the efficient use of natural resources and strengthen more sustainable production models aligned with growing environmental requirements in international markets.

In this context, FAO and the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ) at the University of São Paulo (USP) launched the virtual course “Bioinputs: the natural ally for sustainable agriculture”, available in Spanish and Portuguese through FAO Campus as part of the FAO eLearning Academy and the “FAO Four Betters Courses” Initiative.

The course becomes part of FAO’s regional training programme, which offers more than one hundred free courses. Over the past decade, FAO Campus has contributed to strengthening the capacities of more than half a million participants across Latin America and the Caribbean.

The collaboration between FAO, USP and ESALQ seeks to accelerate knowledge transfer, strengthen technical capacities and support the training of professionals, producers and technicians capable of promoting the responsible and effective adoption of bioinputs throughout the region.

“The collaboration between FAO, the University of São Paulo and the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture reflects this shared commitment. The development of innovative solutions and their large-scale adoption depend on institutions capable of generating knowledge, training professionals and transferring technology to those who need it most,” said René Orellana Halkyer, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean.

FAO is currently supporting several initiatives across the region aimed at expanding the adoption of these technologies and strengthening national capacities. In five Central American and Caribbean countries a project financed by the Green Climate Fund promotes the use and production of organic fertilizers to strengthen climate resilience in the Central American Dry Corridor.

In Cuba, through the Sustainable Agrifood Landscapes project financed by the European Union and the Global Environment Facility, scientific and technical institutions have been strengthened to promote national production of biopesticides, integrated pest management and soil conservation. The initiative produced 5,161 tonnes of biological agents, benefiting more than 60 productive units and 32 demonstration farms.

In Venezuela, an integrated landscape management project in the Venezuelan Andes promotes bioeconomy value chains based on climate-resilient practices and the sustainable use of biodiversity. The alternatives being promoted include biofertilizers, biocontrol agents and agroecological management practices aimed at reducing the use of conventional chemical inputs and strengthening sustainable production in mountain territories.

In Uruguay, a GEF-financed project is strengthening the development of bioinputs to promote sustainable technologies in agricultural production, with an expected outreach of nearly 29,000 beneficiaries through its local and regional actions.

In Saint Lucia, FAO is supporting the Ministry of Agriculture in strengthening local capacities for the production of biological control agents in collaboration with Zamorano University in Honduras.

FAO has also observed rapid growth in the bioinputs market across Latin America and the Caribbean, driven both by the demand for more sustainable solutions and by countries’ interest in strengthening productive autonomy in an increasingly uncertain international environment.

Significant challenges remain, however, including regulatory gaps, certification and quality-control limitations, financing needs and barriers to expanding access to these technologies among small and medium-scale producers.

To address these challenges, FAO is also promoting capacity-building initiatives, technical exchange and regional cooperation.