Biopesticides in Sustainable Agriculture: Current Status and Future Prospects

Intensive application of synthetic pesticides was the routine practice of commercial agriculture during the Green Revolution to boost agricultural productivity to meet global food demand. Alongside this, the application of chemical pesticides caused adverse effects on the environment and its ecoreceptors including human health. Negative externalities arising from conventional farming instigated the call for sustainable development during the sixties to promote and balance the nexus between socially acceptable economic growth and environmental protection. Consequently, a blueprint of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets including ecological stewardship and food security was drafted. Eight out of the 17 SDGs are directly linked to sustainable agriculture based on the direct impact of agriculture, judicious use of critical resources and conservation and the Principles of green chemistry. As a green chemical agent, biopesticides have been shown to have the potentials to substitute chemical pesticides with equal agricultural productivity. The adoption of bio-based pesticides via integrated pest management (IPM) has proven to be the most effective option to influence most dimensions of sustainable agriculture. Therefore, biopesticide-driven IPM if utilized with requisite education, skills and research would boost sustainable agriculture. This chapter reviews the prospects, importance, and limitations of biopesticides to sustainable agriculture and how sustainable agriculture is connected to sustainable development, Green Chemistry, and integrated pest management.