Global Regulatory Framework for Nano-Agri-Input Products for Commercialization
Arkadeb Mukhopadhyay
Abstract
Several pieces of research on nanotechnology applications in the agriculture sector have been carried out in the past two decades to achieve food security as well as agricultural sustainability. Nano-enabled input products have gained much attention as compared to conventional input products due to their higher bioefficacy, lower dose, higher input use efficiency, sustained release to the target site, and generation of fewer waste products. Therefore, the importance of nanotechnology in agriculture is imperative for crop production as well as for crop protection. Nano-Agri-Input Products (NAIPs) may include active ingredients in the nano-range or nanocarrier for sustained and/or targeted delivery of pesticides and fertilizers. Nano-enabled products have exerted several toxicological effects, such as phytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and ecotoxicity, after application. Different guidelines are available for the evaluation of safety aspects of nano-enabled agricultural inputs, including the safety assessment of nontarget organisms and the environment. To date, several countries have developed regulatory guidelines for NAIPs for large-scale application in agriculture. However, the lack of a uniform legislative framework across the globe and even the nondevelopment of guidelines for the regulation of nano-enabled input products for agricultural use in many countries are major bottlenecks in the large-scale acceptance and commercialization of these nano-agri-input products. Therefore, a spotlight in the form of this chapter has been shone upon the present regulatory frameworks and safety assessment guidelines of different countries for Nano-Agri-Input products, along with an address to the present limitations and future opportunities hidden underneath them. The present chapter is expected to help policymakers prepare and/or fine-tune the legislative frameworks for the development, commercialization, and application of nano-based agri-input products with greater societal acceptance and environmental sustainability in the near future.