Biobest - Natural solutions to optimise global sustainable crop yields

Summary

The video discusses the challenges of feeding a growing global population, projected to reach 9-10 billion by 2050. Biobest, a company focused on sustainable agriculture, helps greenhouse growers maximize yields while minimizing pesticide use through Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM incorporates natural methods like beneficial insects and bio-pesticides to manage pests and diseases. Biobest also leverages technology such as crop monitoring software and AI-powered scouting robots to improve decision-making and sustainability. The company is committed to environmental and community welfare, ensuring safe, eco-friendly farming practices and supporting local communities.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The global population is growing rapidly, expected to reach between 9 and 10 billion by 2050, creating a challenge for food production.
• 🌱 Biobest's mission is to help greenhouse growers maximize their yields while reducing the use of chemical pesticides.
• 🔬 Biobest focuses on specific crops, tailoring integrated pest management (IPM) programs to the needs of the user based on crop and location.
• 🦟 IPM integrates non-chemical techniques like the use of beneficial insects, mites, and bio-pesticides to control pests and diseases.
• 🧪 Bio-pesticides, including fungi, viruses, and bacteria, can be diluted in water and applied similarly to conventional pesticides.
• 🌍 Biobest's sustainable farming initiatives in Kenya have improved product quality, increased production, and provided safer alternatives to chemicals.
• 🚫 Natural solutions, such as biologicals, eliminate problems like pesticide resistance and reach hard-to-access pests, improving overall pest control.
• 🌿 Biological solutions ensure better health and safety for workers and the environment compared to chemical alternatives.
• 🤝 Biobest also supplies software like Crop Scanner to help growers organize observations and make better decisions for pest management.
• 🤖 Advanced technology, such as scouting robots using AI, helps predict pest outbreaks more precisely, allowing for more efficient pest control.

Q & A

What challenge is highlighted in the video regarding the growing human population?

The challenge highlighted is how to feed a rapidly growing human population, expected to reach between 9 and 10 billion people by 2050.

What is Biobest's mission in addressing agricultural challenges?

Biobest's mission is to help greenhouse growers maximize their yields while minimizing the use of chemical pesticides.

What is IPM, and how does Biobest apply it?

IPM stands for Integrated Pest Management, which integrates non-chemical techniques to manage pests and diseases. Biobest tailors IPM programs to the needs of specific crops and areas.

What are some types of biopesticides mentioned in the video?

Biopesticides can include fungi, viruses, or bacteria, which can often be diluted in water and applied similarly to chemical pesticides.

How has IPM impacted farming practices in Kenya?

In Kenya, IPM has increased the marketability and quality of products, improved production per meter squared, and provided a safer alternative to chemical pesticides.

What are some of the advantages of using natural solutions and biologicals in farming?

Natural solutions and biologicals prevent pests from developing resistance, can reach pests in hidden areas, and are safe for workers and the environment.

How does Biobest support farmers beyond providing biopesticides?

Biobest provides farmers with knowledge and technology, including the Crop Scanner software and scouting robots, to help them make better decisions and predict pest outbreaks.

What role does technology play in Biobest's pest management approach?

Technology, such as AI-based scouting robots and crop scanning software, helps predict pest outbreaks and improve decision-making, reducing the need for chemical interventions.

How does Biobest contribute to community welfare?

Biobest supports the community by paying school fees for children, providing water, maintaining access roads, and promoting vertical gardening in places like police stations and schools.

What does Biobest see as the future of pest management?

Biobest envisions a future where pests are detected more quickly and precisely, reducing the need for both beneficial insects and chemicals, while applying advanced technology to ensure profitable farming.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 Addressing the Global Population Challenge

The human population is rapidly growing, expected to reach between 9 and 10 billion by 2050. This raises a critical challenge: how to feed this expanding population. The paragraph introduces this global issue, setting the context for exploring sustainable solutions in agriculture.

🌿 Biobest's Mission: Supporting Sustainable Agriculture

Biobest aims to help greenhouse growers maximize crop yields while minimizing chemical pesticide use. Their approach focuses on tailoring solutions based on specific crops and regions, promoting sustainability through integrated pest management (IPM).

🐞 Integrated Pest Management: A Sustainable Approach

IPM, or Integrated Pest Management, involves using non-chemical methods to manage pests and diseases. Biobest employs a range of biological solutions like beneficial arthropods and bio-pesticides, which are fungi, viruses, or bacteria, to combat pests effectively.

🚜 IPM in Action: Benefits for Farmers in Kenya

In Kenya, Biobest's IPM toolkit has improved the marketability and quality of crops. The program has increased production efficiency while offering alternatives to chemical pesticides, making agriculture more sustainable and economically viable.

🌱 The Positive Impact of Natural Solutions

Natural and biological solutions have revolutionized pest control. Unlike chemical pesticides, which lead to resistance, biological methods target pests more effectively, reduce recurring issues, and ensure safety for both employees and the environment.

🤝 Biobest: A Reliable Partner for Sustainable Solutions

Biobest is valued by growers not only for providing effective beneficial insects but also for sharing knowledge and collaborating on sustainable solutions to address evolving pest and disease challenges.

📊 High-Tech Solutions for Pest Monitoring

Biobest is advancing in digital innovation with tools like Crop Scanner software, helping growers organize observations and make better decisions. They are also developing a scouting robot using AI to predict pest outbreaks and improve pest management precision.

🌍 Biobest's Commitment to Community and Sustainability

Biobest is committed to supporting their employees and local communities. Initiatives include sponsoring children's education, promoting vertical gardens, and improving local infrastructure, such as access roads and water supply.

🔍 The Future of Pest Control: Precision and Technology

The future of pest management will focus on early detection of pests and precise solutions, reducing the need for both beneficial organisms and chemicals. Technological advancements will streamline the application of these methods, ensuring sustainable and profitable farming.

Keywords

💡Human Population Growth

The video highlights the global challenge of feeding a rapidly growing human population, projected to reach between 9 to 10 billion people by 2050. This sets the stage for discussing sustainable agricultural solutions like integrated pest management (IPM) to ensure food security for this larger population.

💡Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

IPM refers to a holistic approach to pest management that combines biological, physical, and chemical tools to minimize pests and diseases. The video emphasizes its role in reducing chemical pesticide use, making agriculture more sustainable. Biobest's IPM programs are tailored to specific crops and regions, ensuring effective pest control.

💡Biobest

Biobest is a company focused on helping greenhouse growers maximize yields with minimal chemical pesticide use. Through its IPM programs and crop-specific solutions, Biobest aims to create sustainable farming practices. The company's mission aligns with the need for sustainable agriculture in the face of global population growth.

💡Biopesticides

Biopesticides are natural pesticides made from living organisms like fungi, viruses, or bacteria. In the video, biopesticides are portrayed as a safer, more sustainable alternative to chemical pesticides, offering a solution for managing pests in areas that are difficult to reach with traditional chemicals.

💡Sustainable Farming

Sustainable farming refers to agricultural practices that meet current food needs without compromising future generations' ability to do the same. The video explains how Biobest promotes sustainable farming by offering non-chemical pest management solutions, benefiting the environment and workers' health.

💡Beneficial Insects

Beneficial insects are natural predators of harmful pests. Biobest supplies these insects as part of their IPM toolkit. The video highlights how beneficial insects help control pests, reducing the need for chemical interventions and contributing to more sustainable farming practices.

💡Crop Focus

Crop focus refers to Biobest’s strategy of tailoring pest management solutions based on the specific crop and region. By understanding the types of pests that threaten certain crops, Biobest can offer more targeted and effective solutions, as discussed in the video.

💡Resistance

The video mentions the challenge of pest resistance to chemical pesticides, which often leads to recurring infestations. Biobest’s natural solutions, including biopesticides and beneficial insects, help address this issue by providing alternatives that pests are less likely to develop resistance to.

💡Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI is highlighted as part of Biobest’s future-oriented solutions, such as the scouting robot developed in collaboration with Eco-Asian. The robot uses AI to predict pest outbreaks, allowing for more precise and proactive pest management, which contributes to less reliance on chemical interventions.

💡Health and Safety

The health and safety of workers and the environment are emphasized as key benefits of using biological solutions over chemical pesticides. The video explains how Biobest’s natural pest control methods are safer for farm workers and reduce environmental harm, promoting sustainable farming practices.

Highlights

The human population is expected to grow to between nine and ten billion by 2050, raising concerns about how to feed the rapidly increasing population.

Biobest's mission is to help greenhouse growers maximize yields while minimizing the use of chemical pesticides.

Biobest tailors its Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs based on specific crop and regional needs.

IPM involves integrating non-chemical techniques, such as using beneficial arthropods (insects and mites) and biopesticides, to manage pests and diseases.

Biopesticides can include fungi, viruses, and bacteria, which can be applied similarly to conventional pesticides.

Biobest supports sustainable farming in Kenya through IPM, leading to improved product quality and higher production efficiency.

The use of IPM reduces reliance on chemical pesticides and addresses challenges like pest resistance to chemicals.

Natural and biological solutions can reach pests that chemical pesticides might miss, reducing recurring pest problems.

Natural and biological pest management solutions prioritize safety for both the environment and workers.

Biobest is considered a reliable partner, offering not just beneficial insects but also essential knowledge and training.

Biobest's Crop Scanner software helps farmers organize observations and make better decisions based on structured data.

Biobest is working with Eco-asian to develop a scouting robot that uses artificial intelligence to predict pest outbreaks.

Biobest actively supports community welfare, paying school fees for staff members’ children and providing water to local communities.

Biobest addresses new exotic invasive pests by developing new solutions, emphasizing continuous innovation in pest management.

Future technologies will allow for more precise application of chemicals and beneficials, reducing usage while maintaining profitability for growers.

Transcripts

[Music]

as a human species we have a challenge

we have a human population today of more

than seven billion people

and by 2050 that will grow somewhere

between nine and ten billion people how

are we going to feed the rapidly growing

human population

[Music]

as biobest our mission is to help

greenhouse growers around the world to

maximize their yields while using as

little chemical pesticides as possible

biobest has a crop focus

so by the crop focus we know what kind

of pest to expect when we have a certain

crop and because a different crop and a

different area can desire different

solutions biowaste always tailors

the ipm programs on the needs of the

user ipm is integrated pest management

and integrated pest management is about

integrating different non-chemical

techniques to manage pests and diseases

so we have

arthropods this could be insects or

mites we also have bio-pesticides

bio-pesticides can be different things a

bio-pesticide can be a fungus it could

be a virus or it could be for example

a bacteria very often they can be

diluted in water and sprayed like

regular pesticides can be done

bobes facilities sustainable farming in

kenya by providing ipm as a toolkit the

use of beneficials and biopesticides has

benefited business in three ways one

would be increased marketability of the

product because there is better quality

of the products and at the same time

production per meter squared gets better

with time also the other way you can

look at it is it offers an alternative

because ipm is basically broad and with

ipm we give chemicals the last result

biobased products have really had a very

big positive

impact

in the growing process one chemicals had

a

challenge of building resistance by the

natural solutions and biologicals that

problem is absolutely solved number two

with the natural solutions and

biologicals you're able to reach all

those very hiding pests and diseases

today are locations which with the

chemicals is not reachable then you have

a recurring problem now and then number

three natural and biological solutions

are very safe

health and safety of the employees

health and safety of environment is

guaranteed

[Music]

biobest for us is a reliable partner not

only in supplying healthy and good

working beneficial insects but also in

supplying knowledge so that together

we can

go to solutions which are sustainable

for evolving pests and diseases

throughout the years so right now we

supply software that we call crop

scanner and this software is helping

people to organize

their observations

and to give them a structure

to come to better decisions

another high-tech solution we are

bringing to the market right now is in

collaboration with a company called

eco-asian in canada and this is a

scouting robot so this has

more technology inside to predict where

pest outbreaks

might occur based on artificial

intelligence

[Music]

we like our staff we like to take care

of them we try and support their

children from our staff or from the

community by paying for their school

fees and then we also try and establish

the vertical back gardenings to police

stations to schools

we've got two sites there's one in

thicker there's one in emble the other

one in embu we provide water to the

community and then we also leave the

access roads to the farm and we maintain

it so we got a good access to their

homes as well

i believe our work is never finished

because every so many years we are

confronted with a new exotic invasive

pests that we need to develop new

solutions for

the future will be

that we will find them sooner and we

will find them more precise which will

lead into less use of beneficials and

chemicals also technology will be in

place in the application of chemicals

and beneficials

in the future this will be necessary for

a

tomato grower

to maintain a profitable company

[Music]