4th Asia-Pacific Biopesticide Community of Practice, 29th April 2025

29 April 2025. 4th Asia-Pacific Biopesticide Community of Practice. 

Africa and the Middle East are facing urgent agricultural challenges—population growth, poverty, food insecurity, and climate change. These require innovative, sustainable solutions. Biopesticides offer such potential, but adoption remains limited.

See the presentation, abstract, and recording 

Ms. Stella Simiy Wafukho, Director, Regulatory Affairs and Stakeholder Relations, CropLife Africa Middle East Biopesticides in Africa and Middle East: Market and Regulatory Perspective.

Respondents:

• Dr. Malvika Chaudhary, Global Team Leader – Digital Tool Promotion, CAB International, India
• Mr. Mizanur Rahman, Senior Risk Evaluator – Efficacy and Safety, Risk Assessment Capability, Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, Australia

Ms. Wafukho is encouraging key stakeholders—including policymakers, regulatory authorities, private sector actors, researchers, and farmers' associations—to participate in the co-design process. This collaborative effort will help validate the selection of domains and indicators, refine the scoring methodology, and ensure the tool is simple, effective, and user-friendly.

Please visit the following link to provide your feedback:

Stakeholder Review and Validation of the BioCOPPA Index

https://forms.office.com/r/uZ1d7zkN3B

Summary of the transcript of Ms. Wafukho's presentation

What are Biopesticides?

Biopesticides are natural or biologically-derived pest control agents. They fall into four main categories:

1. Semiochemicals
2. Plant-derived substances (e.g., botanicals)
3. Microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, fungi, viruses)
4. Macroorganisms (e.g., beneficial insects)

They are environmentally friendly, support residue and resistance management, and are aligned with consumer demand for safer food and export requirements.

Regional Agricultural Context

Africa Comprises around 52 countries, many of which:

• Rely heavily on agriculture (up to 80% employment)
• Have aging rural populations and low youth engagement
• Are highly vulnerable to climate-induced pests and diseases
• Face market access pressure due to pesticide residues and sustainability demands

Market Perspective

Biopesticide market penetration is very low:

• Only 4–5% of global biopesticide market share
• Average market value is ~$0.12 billion, far below other regions
• Growth is happening, but slowly and unevenly

Regulatory Perspective

Regulatory systems are the main bottleneck. Key challenges include:

• No dedicated biopesticide frameworks in most countries
• No harmonized definitions across the region (though some sub-regional guidelines now exist: West, East, and Southern Africa)
• Conventional pesticide data requirements used for biopesticides, causing long registration delays
• Lack of regulatory expertise specific to biopesticides
• Weak post-registration monitoring and extension services
• Fragmented responsibilities across ministries or agencies
• Limited infrastructure to support innovation and quality control

Conclusion

While biopesticides can play a transformative role in sustainable agriculture for Africa and the Middle East, especially in ensuring food safety, export competitiveness, and resilience to pests and diseases, the market remains underdeveloped and regulatory reform is urgently needed. Regional cooperation, capacity building, and enabling policies are key to unlocking their potential.

Related: 

2 May 2025. Geneva. Accelerating the transition from HHPs to biopesticides and agroecological alternatives.