Biostimulants
Which biostimulants will farmers actually adopt?
Healthy soil is the lever. Biostimulants are how plants use it.
Biostimulants are biological solutions applied to plants or soils to stimulate their natural functions. Unlike fertilizers or pesticides, they do not act as nutrients or protective agents. They support the plant by boosting nutrient uptake, improving tolerance to abiotic stress such as drought, extreme temperatures or soil degradation, enhancing harvest quality (nutritional value, taste, aroma, shelf life) and increasing nutrient availability in the soil or rhizosphere.
Their use reduces the need for synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, which lowers pressure on biodiversity and on the climate. They also help soil fertility and crop resilience to biotic and abiotic stress. Biostimulants are a promising yet still underutilized way to align agronomic performance with environmental sustainability.
They sit within the wider family of biosolutions, which also includes biocontrol. Biocontrol is outside the scope of this page.
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Start with the pressure
Biodiversity, climate and soil health all point to inputs as part of the problem.
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Split the technology
Non-microbial and microbial products differ in scale, regulation and defensibility.
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Test adoption and exit
Farmer economics, fit with the value chain and appetite from agro-industrial buyers decide the outcome.
A large sector, under pressure
Land use, climate change and various forms of pollution are 3 of the 5 key pressures on biodiversity identified by the IPBES.
Dedicated to agriculture in the EU in 2020, 38% of the EU surface. Organic farming covered 10.5% of it.
Of mineral fertilizers (N, P) used in EU agriculture in 2022, albeit decreasing since 2017.
Of the EU's total greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture.
Of soils show moderate to high degradation in France, and 73% of arable soils.
Decline of common farmland birds in the EU between 1990 and 2022.
Insect species threatened with extinction in the short term.
Conventional inputs shaped modern productivity and now carry an environmental cost. The sector has to produce with less pressure on soil, water and wildlife, and biostimulants are one of the few levers that work inside existing farm practice.
Biodiversity, climate, and the soil between them
Phytosanitary products and synthetic fertilizers support high productivity. They also come at a cost.
A cost for biodiversity
Phytosanitary products are a major source of pollution and a key pressure on biodiversity: broad-spectrum insecticide use, reduced quantity and diversity of biomass, habitat loss, disrupted food chains, ingestion of treated seeds, immunotoxicity. In agricultural areas, pollution is one of the main causes of the decline of terrestrial invertebrates, birds and amphibians.
Target: the Ecophyto 2030 strategy (May 2024) reaffirms the goal of cutting the use and risks of phytosanitary products by 50% by 2030.
And for the climate
Agriculture is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in France, after transportation and nearly on par with industry and construction. Nitrous oxide (N₂O) has a global warming potential nearly 300 times that of CO₂. It is the third most significant greenhouse gas, and agriculture emits about 86% of national N₂O, from nitrogen fertilization, mineral or from livestock effluent.
Target: the National Low Carbon Strategy aims to cut agricultural emissions by 46% by 2050. Agroecology is one of its main levers.
At the intersection, soil health
Healthy soils foster biodiversity and, when well maintained, act as carbon sinks. Practices such as crop rotation, reduced tillage and organic farming help prevent degradation and improve soil structure. Biostimulants can be part of that farming itinerary.
Target: the National Biodiversity Strategy names soil preservation and restoration a key lever for biodiversity.
Three public targets, on pesticides, emissions and soils, push in the same direction. A product that helps a farmer meet them without losing yield has a built-in reason to be adopted.
On track to more than double
The market is projected to grow by x2.4 by 2032, with M&A by major agro players as a driver. Europe still leads, but momentum is shifting to new regions.
Valued at $4.03 billion in 2024, the market is expected to reach $9.75 billion by 2032, a CAGR of 11.8%. The 2025 value is $4.47 billion.
Europe remains the historical stronghold with nearly 40% of the global market and sets regulatory and sustainability standards. The most dynamic growth is now in emerging regions.
Large players are buying innovation pipelines instead of building them. That is a clear exit route, and it favors startups with a differentiated, validated mode of action over those selling a commodity extract.
One category, many dimensions
Biostimulants are versatile. A single product may combine several active ingredients with synergistic modes of action, and a single ingredient may come from various sources. Four dimensions help evaluate them.
Origin
Two main categories: microbial (living organisms such as beneficial bacteria or fungi) and non-microbial (organic substances from plants or animals, and mineral compounds).
Active ingredient
Amino acids, humic and fulvic acids, polysaccharides, mycorrhizal fungi, beneficial bacteria, phytohormones. Each interacts differently with the plant or the soil microbiome.
Mode of action
Enhancing nutrient uptake, stimulating root or shoot development, improving tolerance to abiotic stress, promoting soil microbial activity and structure.
Application
Foliar spraying, soil incorporation, seed treatment, fertigation, or combined with conventional fertilizers. The method affects how well the active ingredients work.
We structure our mapping on the two primary categories defined by the EU Regulation (EU) 2019/1009.
The start-up ecosystem is active on seaweed extracts and amino acids. These are well known and easy to use, with a lower barrier to entry than microbial solutions. Where the regulation is a positive list, a microbial product outside it faces a fragmented national route, which is a real constraint on scale.
33 European startups, mostly early
A curated, non-exhaustive mapping of European startups developing biostimulant solutions, covering non-microbial (algae extracts, amino acids, phytohormones, minerals) and microbial (bacteria, fungi) products. Inclusion is for context and is not an endorsement.
The map is young. 21 of 33 companies have no recorded funding, non-equity assistance, a grant or a pre-seed round, and 9 have reached Series A or later. France hosts 14 of the 33.
Four questions before we back a product
Interest in biostimulants is growing across the sector. Wide adoption, by professionals and investors, depends on a few critical conditions.
Does it tackle the core challenges?
- Does it reduce environmental pressure and help regenerate ecosystems?
- Are there negative externalities across the value chain, such as overuse of resources or pollution?
- Is a full life-cycle assessment available?
What is the adoption potential?
- Is it financially accessible versus conventional options, with a robust and lasting return for the farmer?
- Is it compatible with crop calendars and existing equipment?
- Does it fit the value chain (cooperatives, technical advisors) and have a conservation method compatible with existing infrastructure?
- Is it understood and promoted by key stakeholders?
Is the model resilient and capital-efficient?
- Is it supported by a strong regulatory framework?
- Are CapEx and expected returns aligned? Can the technology scale from prototype to industrial production?
- For living organisms, how robust is the activity under operational conditions?
Is there a strategic exit?
- Does the solution differentiate from competitors?
- Is its mode of action clearly defined and validated, so major crop production players can adopt it?
Beyond each company, the ecosystem has to change how it measures success. Biostimulants improve agroecosystem health and crop resilience, so yield alone is the wrong yardstick. Soil fertility and biological activity, carbon sequestration, functional diversity of microbiomes, and water and ecosystem quality are the indicators that capture their systemic effects.
Back the product farmers will adopt.
The market is set to more than double by 2032, and large agribusiness players are acquiring startups to secure innovation. Non-microbial products are scalable and widely used. Microbial products are the fastest-growing segment and offer tailored, innovative solutions, with higher entry barriers and the promise of differentiation and long-term value.
The sector offers strong potential, and selectivity is key. We look for solutions that address real agronomic and environmental challenges, are easy to adopt, scale with capital efficiency, and have a credible path to a strategic exit.
Building in this space?
Talk to us- Eurostat. Farms and farmland in the European Union; Developments in organic farming; Mineral fertiliser consumption.
- EEB. Agri-ETS position paper (2024). Agricultural emissions share and French soil degradation.
- European Environment Agency. Common bird index in Europe.
- Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. Le déclin des insectes met en péril le vivant.
- IPBES. Key pressures on biodiversity.
- INRAE. Pesticides and ecotoxicology, collective expertise; Livestock and climate change.
- French Ministry of Agriculture. Ecophyto 2030 strategy (May 2024); National Low Carbon Strategy, decarbonation levers; National Biodiversity Strategy, measure 26.
- European Union. Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 on fertilising products.
- Ternel research. Market size, market share by active ingredient and startup M&A as compiled in our biostimulants research. Mapping of 33 European biostimulant startups, from Crunchbase and web research.