Biostimulants represent more than an agricultural product; they constitute a paradigm shift towards more sustainable food production systems. This editorial examines how biostimulants promote a transition from conventional agriculture, dependent on synthetic inputs, to environmentally conscious and regenerative agricultural practices. Historically, conventional agriculture has relied on synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and monocultures to maximize production, resulting in significant environmental costs such as soil degradation, water pollution, and loss of biodiversity. Biostimulants offer an alternative by improving soil health through the support of microbiomes, increasing plant tolerance to abiotic stress, and reducing dependence on chemical inputs. According to the European Union, biostimulants are products that stimulate plant nutritional processes, improving nutrient use efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stress, quality traits, or the availability of poorly soluble nutrients. The global biostimulant market is expected to grow from 3. 2 billion in 2023 to over 9. 0 billion in 2030. The BioClub project demonstrated that biofertilizers composed of microbial consortia can compensate for a 33% reduction in the recommended dose of chemical fertilizers, maintaining productivity and enriching grains with zinc and iron. The effective implementation of biostimulants requires multi-actor approaches, such as living labs, integrating researchers, producers, technicians, and policymakers to optimize their application in different agroecosystems.
Cristina Cruz (2025) studied this question.