Growing concerns about the impact of pesticide use on biodiversity and human health – and increasing demand for products from biodiversity-friendly production systems – have led to growing interest in alternative methods of pest control, including particularly the use of microbial and invertebrate BCAs.

The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in collaboration with the Convention on Biological Diversity, CABI and the International Organization for Biological and Integrated Control will organize an open-ended workshop from 23-24 September in Rome, Italy at FAO Headquarters. The workshop is supported by the European Union through the ACP MEAs 3 programme, Building capacity related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

The workshop aims at:

• raising awareness of the potential of biological control agents (BCAs) and biostimulants;
• reviewing the global regulatory situation regarding the import and export of BCAs and biostimulants, and ABS arrangements for relevant genetic resources;
• identifying possible regulatory gaps and unnecessary restrictions affecting the use of BCAs and biostimulants; and 
• addressing environmental risk assessment for BCAs.

For more information please visit the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture website: https://www.fao.org/cgrfa/en.

To register for the workshop please contact the Commission Secretariat at [email protected].