Approximately 40% of the world's food crops are lost each year due to pests and diseases. The Borregaard-initiated project CROPSAFE has received €4.9 million in funding from the EU's Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) to develop bio-based solutions for pest control in potatoes, tomatoes and bananas.

CROPSAFE stands for Crop Protection Strategies for the Transition to Environmentally-Friendly Agriculture. The support from the EU's CBE JU will, over the next four years, go towards the development of innovative, bio-based solutions intended to replace the use of toxic fossil-based pesticides. The goal is to reduce dependence on harmful crop protection chemicals by offering cost-effective alternatives for various agricultural settings. These solutions have the potential to increase yields by up to 20% and reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to crop protection by as much as 75%.

The project is being carried out by a consortium comprising multiple stakeholders from bio-based industry, as well as international research institutes and universities. Borregaard is leading the development of products and processes related to the bio-based chemicals. The company's biorefinery will provide bark extracts and lignin fractions derived from Norwegian spruce to be tested against harmful nematodes - small, often microscopic worms found nearly everywhere in nature, which attack plant roots and cause disease and crop loss - in the cultivation of tomatoes, potatoes and bananas.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), approximately 40% of global food crops are lost each year due to pests and diseases. While chemical pesticides are effective, they also contribute to serious environmental issues, including loss of soil biodiversity, bioaccumulation in non-target organisms, and contamination of soil and water. Many of these chemicals are now classified as substances of very high concern and are gradually being phased out. As a result, farmers are left without viable alternatives.

To address this, the CROPSAFE consortium is developing bio-based substitutes for chemical pesticides. Using raw materials such as lignin-based biopolymers from Norwegian spruce, as well as renewable bio-based waste such as algae and spent coffee grounds, the project aims to develop crop protection products capable of effectively combating severe pest infestations in the production of potatoes, tomatoes and bananas.

Universities and research institutions participating in the project will have 100% of their laboratory and testing costs covered. Borregaard will receive funding for 60% of its development costs related to the products and production processes - equivalent to approximately €226,000 over four years.

"We have high expectations for this. We've achieved promising results in nematode trials at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). If we succeed, this has great potential for agriculture worldwide - both in terms of increasing food production and enhancing sustainability in farming by reducing the use of toxic pesticides," says Borregaard's CTO, Gudbrand Rødsrud.

CROPSAFE Consortium Members:

Borregaard (Norway)

Vlaamse Instelling Voor Technologisch Onderzoek n.v. (Belgium)

Grupo Regional de Cooperativas Plataneras del Archipiélago Canario (Spain)

Alginor (Norway)

The James Hutton Institute Dundee (UK)

Centre for Process Innovation (UK)

Iconiq Innovation (UK)

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (Italy)

Kaffe Bueno (Denmark)

Acondicionamiento Tarrasense Associación (Spain)

Soilsessentials Limited (UK)

Institut Químic de Sarrià (Spain)

Partners:

MoreThanDigital International (Switzerland)