An Overview Of Our Solution
Green Revolution was born in Mexico some decades ago, characterized by using new seeds varieties and an intensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture. Nevertheless, intensive use of chemicals has been the cause of a low fertility in these areas.
Tecnologias AgriBest is a biotech startup dedicated to design, formulate, produce and trade biofertilizers, biostimulants and biopesticides for increasing the micro biota of the soil. The company creates AgriBest Systems, an effective solution to increase crop yields in a sustainable way.
During the almost 4 years of operation, AgriBest Systems have been used in more than 144,000 hectares cultivated by more than 40,000 agricultures in 28 Mexican States. With this technology growers can increase their crop yields in more than 20%, reducing at the same time the use of agrichemicals in at least 30%.
Who is this solution impacting?
Community Type
Rural
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: North America
General Information
Organization type
Corporation
Ecosystem (select all that apply)
Forests
Grasslands
Oceans/Coasts
Population impacted
40,000 people
Challenge
Size of agricultural area
144,000 hectares
Production quantity
500,000 liters of biofertilizers
People employed
50 people
Solution
Describe your solution
The company developed an innovation concept named Sistema AgriBest, which is a set of biostimulants, biofertilizers and biopest control products designed for each type of crop. Using the biological systems created for each specific crop, growers can reduce agrichemicals use, increase crop yields and diminish impact to environment and human health.
There is an interaction among all the system’s components and a synergic effect in the metabolism and physiology of the crop after each application. At the end of the crop cycle, the growers expend less money because reducing agrichemicals applications and at the same time increase crop yields.
The systems were developed in a Private-Public Alliance with University of Chapingo and Colegio de Postgraduados, two of the majors public agricultural science and research institutions in Mexico.
AgriBest technology are based in the use of benefic micro-organisms and botanical extracts. We developed a sort of products that growers apply during different physiological crop stages. For example: seed inoculation, root development, enriching soil biota, bio-fungicides, biostimulants for improving crop vigor and resistance to pests.
Also, we work alongside with growers providing training and technical assistance in order to accomplish the results expected.
Using biotechnology, a communication strategy and training activities, we are helping small, medium and large growers to increase their crop yields without damaging environment.
Implementation
Describe your implementation
In order to design the AgriBest systems for the main crops grown in Mexico, the company signed a cooperation agreements with Universidad Autonoma Chapingo and Colegio de Postgraduados, two of the major institutions in the nation focused on agricultural research and education. With these partnerships the company started with the 6 more relevant crops in terms of cultivated area (corn, beans, sorgum, soy bean, sugar cane and rice).
At the beginning, AgriBest established a joint ventures with different manufacturing companies for built-up the components of the systems. Also, a marketing and communication strategy was developed with the purpose to spread the concept and convince growers that profitability and sustainability are strong linked.
For promoting our technology we established field trials in different regions in a coordination with SAGARPA (Mexican agricultural ministry) and national, regional and local growers association. The results were very satisfactory in the first year and we continued developing more systems for different crops.
Also, we created an alliance with CONACYT (National science and technology council) for establishing our laboratories and an innovation center dedicated to biotechnology for sustainable agriculture. At the same time, we built our manufacturing facilities with the support of INADEM (Mexican Institute for Entrepreneurship). The objective was to strength our capabilities for developing innovative and low cost products in a continue basis.
In order to expand the benefits of our technology to the small growers, we help them to apply for governmental programs that support the use of sustainable inputs for agriculture.
Also, we participate in different forums along the country in order to spread the benefits of using biotech products for crop nutrition and protection. In 2016, we published the book “Biofertilizantes: la solucion a la productividad en el campo” with the aim to create awareness about using these technologies.
External connections
Since the beginning we create an alliance directly with key researchers and scientists in agricultural areas such as microbiology, soil fertility, plant nutrition, pest control, metabolomics and biostimulants. These high qualified and specialized team is an important part of the success of this initiative. Research has been supported by CONACYT (Science & technology council) and private investment.
Growers associations and rural organization leaders have played a key role in the adoption of AgriBest Systems by the growers. Working intensively with the heads let us get access to the base of each organization. Besides, when a leader identified the benefits of the technology he recommended it to others leaders in different regions or crops.
Government has been a determinant player in promoting, supporting and financing the use of these products. Regionalization and prioritization policies have been defined by SAGARPA (Agricultural Ministry).
Big companies as Grupo Modelo (largest beer manufacturing in Mexico) and Nestle (Coffee division) are already part of this project and are increasing their productivity in a sustainable way.
AgriBest Systems have been developed for 26 different crops. The results obtained in increasing crop yields and reducing agrichemicals generate a recommendation to other sectors. Recently we developed a biological product for both, tick control in cattle and a biofertilizer for grasslands, which was asked by CNOG (National cattle association).
Results
What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?
Crops yields has been increased in the last 50 years through the intensive use of agrichemicals. A lot of growers took advantage of these techniques and nowadays Mexico is very competitive exporting different crops all over the world as tomato, mangoes, avocados, berries, and many others. Also, some agricultural areas as Sinaloa and El Bajio are one of the most productive in the world in terms of yields of some grains as corn, sorgum and barley.
The problem is that agricultural soils have been degraded. Its biological, chemical and physical conditions produce low fertility and low profitability for growers. This is a vicious circle, where the growers trying to get higher crops yields, invest more money in agrichemicals, but just get less profitability and unfertile soils. The abuse of using chemical fertilizers and pesticides has been killing the life in the soil and contaminating the water table. Low fertility and eutrophication are the price paid for getting high crop yields.
Describe the context in which you are operating
According with OECD, Mexico is one of the more affected countries in terms of soil degradation (almost 50% of its territory with damaged soils). Also, SEMARNAT (Mexican environmental ministry) revealed that 92.7% of the Mexican surface has been suffered fertility decrease because the use of agrichemicals.
To fight back this problem, many private and governmental organizations work on promoting sustainable agriculture through different initiatives as awareness communication programs, training, technology transferring, divulgating use of traditional techniques and promoting use of bio fertilizers and bio pesticides. However, many of these initiatives are separated, isolated, uncoordinated and not provide a comprehensive solution to agricultures problems.
Specifically, in the case of bio fertilizers and bio pesticides many of the options available in the market are poor effective; difficult to implement for extensive agricultural areas; not compatible with advanced agricultural machinery and practices; and also, these products are perceived as a low tech products intended for being used by small and less advanced growers.
Likewise, agricultures got used to chemical fertilizers and pesticides and there is a reluctance to use new technologies. Unfortunately, sustainability is not a priority for a lot of growers; they are looking for options to increase their productivity, more than respect the environment.
How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?
AgriBest concept is focused in increase soil´s micro biodiversity. An unfertile or damaged soil contents approximately 1.5 x 10*9 beneficial bacteria and 2.5 x 10*5 beneficial fungi. After applying AgriBest Systems we have found 2.9 x 10*9 beneficial bacteria and 1.0 x 10*6 beneficial fungi. When different bacteria and fungi are added to the microbiota of the soil, we get a healthier soil; physical, biological and chemical conditions are improved.
We have a cryogenic bank with more than 200 types of different strains. We design each AgriBest system according to the crop needs, using the specific micro-organisms to solve nutrition (nitrogen fix bacteria, phosphate solubility bacteria) or a pest/disease control (entomopathogenic fungi).
Using AgriBest Systems growers can decrease chemical fertilizers and pesticides use in a range of 30-100%. Also, they enter in a virtuous circle, where the more apply micro organisms to the soil, the more fertility on it, and the more profitability for grower.
Language(s)
Spanish
Water
Eutrophication is one of the worst problems caused by agrichemicals because they leach and pollute water table affecting environment and human health. Some areas in Mexico have been extremely damaged by the abuse of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers. AgriBest Systems help growers to reduce using these products without compromising productivity. We have organized more than 300 training events to create awareness in the growers about the importance to reduce the use of agrichemicals.
Food Security/Nutrition
The abuse of chemicals in agriculture has impacted negatively in human health. AgriBest is contributing to solve 3 problems. First, we reduce growers exposure to dangerous substances in the fields. Second, rural population located near cultivated areas has developed health problems as cancer and kidney malfunction since the use of agrichemicals; in a long run we will contribute strongly to reduce them. Third, residues of chemicals pesticides has been reduce with the use of biopesticides.
Economic/Sustainable Development
AgriBest System focuses in the sustainable intensification of crop production. Growers can increase their productivity in an average of 20% using our technology; but we have examples where the growers produce 200% more than conventional way. We make growers aware that biological inputs can help their crops to be more efficient in the nutrients uptake and more resistant to pests, getting bigger and high quality harvests and as a consequence, increase profitability without environmental damage.
Climate
In the period 2013-2016 AgriBest systems were used in 144,000 hectares. Considering a 20% reduction of the use of nitrogen fertilizers and 35% of phosphate fertilizers, we can estimate a reduction of CO2 emissions about 21,840 tons. Using these technologies growers are reducing their climate fingerprint in a continuous way by getting healthier soils that contribute to mitigating climate change by their high content of carbon. Thanks to these results, AgriBest won Cleantech Challenge 2016.
Sustainability
At the beginning we started focused in national and regional organizations of small growers who receive governmental grants, but we diversified to other groups. Our business model considers 3 different market targets. Small growers are attended with government grants. Medium growers are attended by a distribution network created since 2015. Large companies (Nestle, Grupo Modelo, exporters) are attended directly by our technical team. The cost of our technology is very cheap , so in the case of small growers, once they realize the benefits of the system they are willing to pay it by themselves. We have experimented exponential growth, passing from 1,500 growers with 4,000 hectares in 2013, to 25,000 growers with 60,000 hectares in 2016.
Return on investment
We started the company in June 2013 with a 97,000 USD investment mainly destined to technical team operations (salaries, vehicles, travel expenses). We have reinvested earnings since the first year and we have applied to different public funds (CONACYT, INADEM, SAGARPA, FIRCO) in order to have our own laboratories and manufacturing facilities; these jointed investments have been approximately for 2.6 million USD. In these 4 years we have worked with 40k growers with 144k hectares located in 246 rural municipalities in 28 Mexican States. We have reach along with growers a sustainable yield intensification of 26 different crops. This represents about 21 M USD of additional income for growers.
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Replication and Scale
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
We think that this initiative can be replicate in other latitudes taking in consideration grower´s needs, available technology in universities and public research institutions, governmental support and a marketing & communication strategy.
Our goal was to transfer biotechnology to the growers for increasing their productivity. We identified that this technology had to be cheap, easy to implement and high effective. In order to success, we create an alliance with universities, government (national and local) and private investors for developing, producing and commercializing innovative technology. This model can be replicate it to other kind of technology for agriculture. We have found that there is a lot of clean and high efficient technology for agriculture in universities that need to be taken to the growers. Also, we realize that a differentiated communication and marketing strategy (size and technological level) is a key factor to open the doors of the most reluctant growers.