At the 2025 Salinas Biological Summit, a new partnership was formalized between Platform10 and the Biological Products Industry Alliance (BPIA) through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The agreement, signed by Dennis Donohue and Keith Jones, marks a collaborative effort to strengthen the development and global adoption of biological products in agriculture, particularly biopesticides.
Strengthening Biological Product Trials Through Grower Led Programs
Platform10, a global initiative focused on advancing field trials of biopesticides and other biological inputs, will work with BPIA to manage and expand grower led trials in the United States. The goal is to improve product assessment, increase market trust, and drive grower adoption through practical on farm data. Originating from discussions at the Salinas Summit in 2023, Platform10 launched field trials across various global locations in 2024, targeting specialty crops including those in California.
As part of the agreement, BPIA will assist in developing selection criteria for companies and products entering the Platform10 program. The task force will also establish a transparent, multi stakeholder review process to evaluate product applications and field testing protocols. Additionally, it will design strategies for presenting study results and conducting outreach to farmers to support the adoption of validated products.
Industry Challenges and Shared Objectives
The collaboration comes amid growing activity in the ag biologicals sector, projected to reach US$ 19.6 billion by 2027. Despite this growth, the sector continues to face critical barriers such as inconsistent product efficacy, insufficient communication with growers, extended testing periods and a slowdown in funding across agtech.
Peter Wren-Hilton, founder of Wharf42 and co host of the Summit, emphasized the need for global coordination, stating that no single company or country can solve all grower challenges alone. He noted that the MOU connects North America’s primary biologicals trade body with the first global grower led field trial network, enabling engagement between BPIA members and international research, industry and policy groups.
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Preparing for Global Expansion
The immediate focus of the partnership includes completing final field trials in California and initiating trials in Australia and New Zealand by 2026. These Southern Hemisphere programs will allow for year round product testing through counter seasonal scheduling, strengthening the reliability of trial results.
Platform10 is also planning to announce additional global partnerships in the second half of 2025. The initiative aims to expand into Europe, Asia and Latin America over the next year, with the MOU serving as a template for collaboration with organizations in those regions.
BPIA executive director Keith Jones highlighted that the partnership opens a new channel to encourage broader use of biopesticides, biofertilizers and biostimulants. He stated that the collaboration would help improve grower confidence on a global scale and offer a structured approach to bringing more validated biological products to the market.
Wren-Hilton added that awareness of Platform10’s grower focused model is expected to attract increased interest from both industry stakeholders and grower groups worldwide.
