Technological demands: bioinputs for biological control in Brazil

Abstract

This article aims to identify characteristics of the participation of bioinputs for biological control in the Brazilian phytosanitary context, exploring the agenda of debates on the regulatory model and the development of technologies in biological control. In Brazil, agrochemicals constitute the set of dominant technologies for the control of pests and diseases in crops, but in the last decade, biological control has been gaining ground. In this scenario, guided by distinct technological regimes, which are immersed in points of contact, the development of biological technologies faces socio-technical obstacles. Thus, the arguments dealt with in Brazilian legislation are discussed, the characteristics of products of chemical and biological origin are located, and information related to the registration and consumption of these agricultural inputs are analyzed. The results achieved show that, over the years, regulatory bodies have sought to build in contributions in the legislation to adapt the registration of bioinputs for biological control, such as the decree named Decreto nº 4.074/2002, and also to develop incentive policies such as the national plan for bioinputs, launched in 2020. In addition, it was possible to observe the increase concentrated in the total number of bioinput records among the irregular consumption of these technologies, thus exposing the limitation of the actions taken and the need to integrate information related to this market.