#FoodTech
The future of farming worldwide depends on effective protection for food and feed crops, and protection of the essential, life-enabling biodiversity across our planet. Solasta Bio is at the forefront of introducing the next generation of environmentally friendly insecticides. Their technology empowers farmers with small protein-based crop protection that is not only effective but also highly specific. This allows for precise targeting of insect pests while safeguarding essential pollinators like bees. Solasta Bio’s approach signifies a commitment to environmentally sustainable agriculture, ensuring the balance between effective pest control and the preservation of biodiversity.
Solasta Bio’s groundbreaking bio-insecticide utilizes peptides, natural proteins integral to an insect’s metabolism. This allows effective targeting of a wide spectrum of pests. This unique solution addresses a significant gap in the market by combining high efficacy with unparalleled specificity.
Traditional chemical pest controls are toxic and non-specific. Our food production systems have become overly reliant on these powerful yet harmful methods.
Chemical insecticides are a major contributor to the alarming 50-75% decline in insect abundance over the last 50 years, putting 40% of known insect species on the brink of extinction. Shockingly, a staggering 98% of chemical insecticides miss their target, resulting in pollution of soil and water ecosystems. As if that weren’t enough, these chemical pesticides pose a severe threat to human health, causing 26 million poisonings and 220,000 deaths annually.
Biological pest control is a non-toxic alternative, but its effectiveness often falls short, hindering a smooth transition away from lethal chemicals.
Replacing chemical insecticides with Solasta’s peptide-based bio-insecticides will result in a reduction of non-target insect deaths and a reduction in pesticide poisoning in humans.
When beneficial insects, such as pollinators, are not harmed by insecticide use, there will be an increase in biodiversity, ecosystem resilience and ecosystem services such as pollination.
Biodiversity; ecosystems and insects in general. Insects are essential for all life on earth: they pollinate three quarters of our crops, maintain soil structure and are a source of food for other organisms higher in the food chain.
Solasta’s pest control solution distinguishes itself by offering a unique combination of high effectiveness and non-toxicity– a rarity in the current market. Additionally, using insect metabolism-derived peptides enhances the longevity of the bio-pest control. It ensures sustained effectiveness while minimizing the risk of resistance.
For decades, chemical insecticides have dominated the market without viable biological alternatives that match their efficacy but without the associated negative side effects. Solasta’s pioneering “mode of action” stands as a transformative development in the bio-insecticide sector, offering a promising and unprecedented solution to address this longstanding gap in the industry.
KPI 1: Solasta Bio has filed a dossier for regulatory approval in the US, EU, Brazil or Mexico territory for at least one peptide. Solasta Bio will report on the progress of their regulatory filings and show their regulatory dossier once it is filed.
KPI 2: Solasta Bio has proven the efficacy and non-toxicity of at least one peptide through at least one season of commercial trials. We will measure the impact target based on different ‘hurdle rates’ on efficacy and non-toxicity. For efficacy the commercial trial data will be used. For non-toxicity we will use the methodology of IOBC-WRPS in the ‘pesticide side effect database,’ which ranges from level 4 (harmful) to 1 (harmless).
There is a risk that the agrochemical industry feels threatened and decides to acquire Solasta Bio and shelve the technology. We consider this risk small, since agrochemical companies are vigorously looking for alternatives to their current chemical portfolio due to societal and regulatory pressure. This risk could be mitigated in the exit process.
Solasta Bio’s early-stage products, featuring peptides, are undergoing thorough testing to replicate lab results in real-field conditions. This meticulous process is crucial for a safe and effective rollout in the food value chain, emphasizing the company’s commitment to responsible agricultural practices.
We relate Solasta’s impact to SDG 15: Life on Land. Through purposeful impact. Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species
