Editorial Open Access Kumar, J Biofertil Biopestici 2013, 4:2 DOI: 10.4172/2155-6202.1000e114 Volume 4 • Issue 2 • 1000e114 J Biofertil Biopestici ISSN:2155-6202 JBFBP, an open access journal Te world population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050. Tis global population growth of 2 to 3 billion people over the next 40 years, combined with the changing diets, would result in a predicted increase in food demand of 70% by 2050 [1,2]. To feed the burgeoning population, we need to produce more food and livelihood opportunities from less per capita arable land and water. Providing ample food for the ever-growing global population is only the frst part of the challenge; the second and more important part is to produce this in a safe and sustainable manner [3]. Tere are certain other challenges in sustainably feeding the 9 billion global populations by the year 2050. Sustainability comprises of people, prosperity and the planet. For prosperity of the people, sustainable farming in an eco-friendly manner is must. While agriculture consumes about two-third of the fresh water, 11% of the world’s land and 10% of the global petroleum, there would be several challenges in bringing sustainability to agriculture. Te major challenges of sustainable farming are productivity, food quality and diminishing return of agricultural inputs. Te conventional approaches may not prove adequate to meet the projected food requirements, both in terms of quantity and quality of the food. Moreover, most of the cultivated crops/varieties have reached the yield plateau. Hence, crop protection to harvest maximum produce of the crops is one of the ways to meet the food demand of the growing population and to attain global food security on sustainable basis. Farmers, who were basically organic farmers, have adapted to green revolution technology characterized by the use of high yielding varieties (HYVs), chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Although intensive agriculture has so far been able to provide sufcient food grains for the growing global population, it treads heavily in the environment. Continuous use of HYVs without proper crop rotation has resulted in enhanced pest incidences. Insect-pest management in HYVs by extensive use of all sort of chemical pesticides has certainly provided protection to crops over the past decades; it has also raised concerns about pesticide residues in food and environmental pollutions. Terefore, the need of the day is to produce more and more food from decreasing availability of natural resources. An integrated crop management approach needs to be deployed to counteract degradation of the agro-ecosystem due to the on-going intensive agriculture. Tis would include the use of biofertilizers and biopesticides, integrated pest management, soil and water conservation practices, biodiversity conservation etc. Te increasing public concerns and growing awareness about the potential adverse environmental efects as well as health hazards associated with the use of synthetic plant protection and other agrochemicals has prompted search for the technologies and products which are safer for the end users and the environment. Due to the concerns of resistance development in pests and withdrawal of some of the products for either regulatory or commercial reasons, a lesser number of chemical pesticides are now available in the market. Natural pesticides are environment friendly and safer than classical chemical pesticides. Hence in the recent years considerable attention has been paid towards exploitation of biopesticides in protection of food crops/commodities from pest infestations and the associated losses. Biopesticides, being natural products derived from materials such as plants, bacteria, viruses, minerals etc., are considered to be safer for the environment. Tey are usually less toxic than synthetic chemical pesticides, afect only the target pest and closely related organisms, ofen efective in small quantities and decompose naturally and quickly. More importantly, they can help minimizing the use of chemical pesticides and the associated environmental pollutions. When used in combination with conventional crop protection measures, biopesticides have been shown to improve pest control efcacy, enhance crop yield and become cost efective. When used as one of the components of an integrated pest management (IPM) program, biopesticides are targeted to particular pests and have high impact on pests and lowest impact on the environment. Typically, they do not persist longer in the environment afer application, come from renewable sources and are safe for other organisms, farm workers and consumers of the produces. Al-shannaf et al. [4] evaluated efciency of bioinsecticides and insect growth regulating chemicals against larvae of American bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) and their side efects on common predators in Egyptian cotton feld. Teir results indicated that chemical insect growth regulators, though more efective against H. armigera, adversely afect non-target insects in the feld. As of early 2013 there were approximately 400 registered biopesticide active ingredients, and more than 1250 registered biopesticide products [5]. Increasing demands for residue-free crop produce, growing organic food market and easier registration than chemical pesticides are some of the key drivers of the biopesticide market [3]. Te available biopesticides may be divided into three major categories: microbial, biochemical (or botanical) and plant-incorporated protectants. Microbial pesticides consist of microorganism (bacteria, fungi, viruses, or protozoans) or their derivative as active-ingredient, and they have been successfully being used in controlling insect pests. One of the most widely used microbial biopesticides is Bacillus thuringiensis, popularly known as Bt. Te bacterium produces crystalline proteins and specifcally kills one or a few related insect species. Biochemical or botanical pesticides are naturally occurring substances that control pest population by non-toxic mechanisms. Such examples are Azadirachtin from Neem tree, insect sex-pheromones (that interfere with their mating and population build-up), various scented extracts (that attract insect pests to traps) and some vegetable oils [6,7]. Sometimes it becomes difcult to determine whether a substance meets the criteria for classifcation as a biochemical pesticide, hence US Environmental *Corresponding author: Suresh Kumar, Division of Biochemistry, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India, E-mail: sureshkumar3_in@yahoo.co.uk Received August 12, 2013; Accepted August 13, 2013; Published August 16, 2013 Citation: Kumar S (2013) The Role of Biopesticides in Sustainably Feeding the Nine Billion Global Populations. J Biofertil Biopestici 4: e114. doi:10.4172/2155- 6202.1000e114 Copyright: © 2013 Kumar S. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The Role of Biopesticides in Sustainably Feeding the Nine Billion Global Populations Suresh Kumar* Division of Biochemistry, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India Journal of Biofertilizers & Biopesticides J o u r n a l o f B i o f e r t ili z e r s & B i o p e s t i c i d e s ISSN: 2155-6202