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In the face of environmental and economic challenges, biostimulants are driving a growing interest across the agricultural sector. However, their widespread adoption - by both professionals and investors - depends on meeting several critical conditions.

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🚜 Sine qua non conditions for biostimulant adoption…

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To what extent does the product tackle the core agronomic and environmental challenges facing the sector?

• Does it help reducing the environmental pressures exerted by agriculture? Does it contribute to the regeneration of ecosystems?
• Are there potential negative externalities across the value chain (e.g. overuse of resources, pollution)?
• Is a full life-cycle assessment available to assess the impacts? </aside>

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How resilient and capital-efficient is the business model for scaling up?

• Is the business model supported by a strong regulatory framework?
• Are the CapEx invested aligned with the expected returns? Can the technology effectively scale from prototype to industrial-level production?
• If the solution involves living organisms, how robust is the activity under operational conditions? </aside>

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What is the adoption potential across the farming ecosystem?

• Is the solution financially accessible to farmers compared to conventional options? Does it generate a robust and lasting return on investment for them?
• Is it compatible with farmers’ technical practices e.g. in terms of crop calendars and existing equipment?
• Can the solution be integrated into the existing agricultural value chain (cooperatives, technical advisors, etc.)? Does it have an effective conservation method compatible with existing infrastructures?
• Is it understood and promoted by key stakeholders? </aside>

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What is the potential for strategic exits, particularly through M&A with major agro-industrial players?

• Does the solution differentiate from competitors?
• Is its mode of action clearly defined and validated, facilitating its adoption by major crop production actors? </aside>

📈 Beyond investing, agriculture must undergo its transition

While it is essential for each business to stand out from its competitors, a broader transformation of the entire ecosystem is imperative.

Biostimulants are becoming key levers to improve agroecosystem health, strengthen crop resilience, and support farmers in adopting sustainable practices. However, to truly acknowledge their impact, we must move from conventional metrics focused on yield to new indicators: soil fertility and biological activity, carbon sequestration, functional diversity of microbiomes, water and ecosystem quality...

Encouraging the adoption of biostimulants therefore also means rethinking how we measure success, to capture the systemic effects of biostimulants.