Article Preview
TopIntroduction
The United Nations estimates the world population to reach 10 billion by 2050, requiring an increase of 70% in food production (Chaturvedi & Khandelwal, 2019). Higher food demand, especially in developing countries, indicates the need for sustainable agribusiness, sustainable agricultural production, and innovative solutions (Da Silva, 2012; European Commission, 2012; Naranjo, Ellsworth, & Frisvold, 2014). Furthermore, “globalization and expansion of international markets, as well as the fast-growing middle and high income classes in many developing countries, offer opportunities to growers from developing countries to operate in emerging national and international markets” (Trienekens, 2011, p. 52).
In Brazil, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply predicts a significant consumption increase in the countries that import Brazilian agricultural products over the next 10 years (Brasil, 2013). The structure of the Brazilian agricultural production remains heavily concentrated in commodities, namely soybean and sugar cane (Brasil, 2014a; Brasil 2014b; Brasil, 2014c). Brazil is the world’s major producer of sugar and soybean (Brasil, 2014a; Brasil, 2014c). In addition, sugarcane biomass greatly contributes to the renewable energy supply in the country (Brasil, 2014c).
The use of chemical pesticides in sugarcane and soybean crops, among others, can cause serious impacts to the environment due to water, air and soil contamination. These impacts are hard to measure (Bittencourt, 2009). Paradoxically, data showing reduction of chemical use should be analyzed with caution because recent chemical pesticides are more active biologically, requiring fewer applications; however, at each application, the impact on the environment increases. Thus, in addition to population growth, the consequent increase in food consumption requires the development of sustainable innovations in the sector of agricultural pesticides in various crops such as sugar cane and soybean.
An alternative highly used and understood as more sustainable is the biological control: “The future pest management will depend strongly on biological control because it is the most sustainable, cheapest and environmentally safest system of pest management” (Bale, Van lenteren, & Bigler, 2007, p.773).
Sustainable innovations are a way for companies to be socially and environmentally friendly, more balanced, requiring new thinking about innovation, focused on sustainable development (Barbieri, Vasconcelos, Andreassi, & Vasconcelos, 2010; Philippi, Maccari, & Cirani, 2015). Sustainable innovation can confer greater competitiveness, and, according to Porter (1980), innovation is imperative for competitiveness.