Weed dies, but without chemicals: the cutting-edge research of a Spanish multinational to put an end to herbicides

The most advanced research for get rid of weeds in agriculturebut in a natural way. That is one of the main tasks of Kimiteca Spanish biotechnology multinational that uses natural methods to investigate how to eliminate glyphosate and other chemical herbicides that the European Union wants to ban definitively.

We visited its headquarters in Almeria, the largest natural agriculture research center in Europe, where we learn about its projects to achieve natural agriculture in which we can eradicate glyphosatethe most widely used herbicide in the world.

Glyphosate is an herbicide that has been classified by the World Health Organization as “probably carcinogenic to humans“. It is already prohibited in some countries and even in some municipalities in Spain.

Thus, the goal is to achieve a chemical-free diet, and they achieve it by looking for “natural candidates“that replace herbicides in the field,” says Efrén Remesal, head of R&D&i at Kimitec, citing an extract from a mint leaf as an example.

In their facilities, which you can see in these images, they are testing how these natural candidates work against different invasive species, which we usually know as weeds.

In addition to herbicides, Kimitec is also researching to put an end to chemical insecticides. And the result can be seen in an aubergine crop in which Manuel Pérez, a farmer, details that native insects have been used to repel pests: “They are zero waste“, he points.

But in addition, in this company they use artificial intelligence to improve agricultural production and have own database for research in agrifood.

From farm to table

All these Kimitec projects, supported by European funds, are in line with the European strategy on sustainable agriculture; a priority objective of the European Union, which has centralized its entire agricultural policy in the ‘From farm to table’ strategy, approved in 2020.

Specifically, the EU proposed reduce the use of pesticides by 50% and that at least 25% of its production is organic by 2030as well as other proposals around organic farming, the labeling of packaging and the reduction of food waste.

Reaching these figures will require a great effort for the member countries, since the EU is currently far from that 25%, except Austria, which already reached it in 2019, as can be seen in the following graph. A country that, by the way, already has glyphosate banned.

These are the main objectives of the strategy:

• Ensure enough food, and that it is affordable and nutritious, without exceeding the limits of the planet.
• Halve the use of pesticides and fertilizers and the sale of antimicrobials.
• Increase the amount of land devoted to organic farming.
• Promote more sustainable food consumption and healthy diets.
• Reduce food loss and waste.
• Fight against food fraud in the supply chain.
• Improve animal welfare.