Agricultural chemical firms have made investments in the discovery and development of biological pesticides as a complement to synthetic pesticides for the control of insects, diseases, and weeds on agronomic and horticultural crops. The use of biologicals is essential for the sustainable agriculture of the future since they not only protect beneficial insects but also stimulate them to defend crops. Biopesticides, biofertilizers, and biostimulants fall under the category of “biologics,” which are agricultural products made from natural sources including bacteria, plants, animals, or minerals. Biologicals will mostly replace chemical fertilizers and crop protection goods, which combined account for a market worth over $240 billion. Dr. Gustavo Sosa, founder and CEO of INBIOAR, views biologicals as a tool to replace synthetic chemicals. He believes that he still has a lot of work to do to prove that biologicals are similar to synthetics while still being environmentally friendly.
Animated by Enthusiasm
Dr. Gustavo Sosa is an enthusiastic and passionate person. He does everything because he loves it. Love in this context refers to a commitment to hard work and intellectual success. His desire to learn things is effectively driven by his curiosity. He does not perceive distinctions between his work and his personal life; thus, both are the same to him. He spent a lot of time figuring out what he truly desired in life. His scientific career included many different types of knowledge searches. He has received an extraordinary prize in his life as a result of that discovery.
Dr. Gustavo teaches plant biochemistry at Salvador University in Buenos Aires. He is aware that what he preaches is both contained and uncontained in the books. He imparts knowledge that the students will need for the rest of their lives. He shares his knowledge with others in order to prevent them from making the mistakes he did before.
Inception of INBIOAR
Imagine discovering a plant that produces a cancer-preventing chemical. What if the plant needs to be grown to supply the facility that makes the anticancer medication? What if the plant is a wild plant that is also growing freely in the field? What if those with little resources gather the plants and sell the bags of plants produced at the factory? They would receive some payment per bag from the anticancer factory. The people will return to their homes with some money for their families. That was the initial idea of INBIOAR, according to Dr. Gustavo Sosa.
His objective was to find plants that could one day be grown commercially. At first, he considered molecules with anticancer activity. However, he later discovered first-level research to identify plant-derived crop protection molecules. He acted in this manner. However, the project’s 2.0 version will focus on anticancer, antibacterial, and veterinary products. Dr. Sosa’s ultimate goal is to assist people in finding sustainable means of subsistence while raising the value of non-valuable plants. Not too different from what INBIOAR is currently doing.
What is INBIOAR?
INBIOAR Holding Company, established in the British Virgin Islands, is primarily a research and development company. It focuses on creating new active ingredients from botanical extracts for the global crop protection market. It has been possible to identify crucial areas and important habitats to harvest plants expressing their greatest phytochemical potential through a meticulous and methodical approach that is founded on scientific understanding. INBIOAR is a hybrid of academia and business. It is the place where pursuing a Ph.D. and developing professionally with the freedom to make adjustments and make decisions for the organization would have been ideal.
INBIOAR is the product of numerous concepts from various sectors, including business, science, finance, and law. It provides crop protection prototypes for the global market, including bio-herbicides, bio-fungicides, bio-stimulants, and bio-insecticides. It acquires the expertise and disseminates the technology to the international market, which is constantly looking for new solutions to aid the farmers. The environment is considered as a component of the economy in the equation for farmer production.
As a Founder and CEO
Dr. Gustavo suggests a new challenge for the team and encourages discussion among everyone. He also incorporates liberated areas into the workplace. He is aware that learning involves making mistakes along the way. However, the long-term learning is fantastic since he meets passionate, driven people.
In addition to his other duties, Dr. Gustavo must secure funding for the initiatives, develop partnerships and connections with the international business community, and keep investors updated on INBIAOR’s progress.
He enjoys it when his team visits the lab, makes coffee, and discusses what they are working on. He enjoys discussing upcoming or completed work with the team. There are several adventures on every journey, he claims. He likes watching the excitement in the lab when a new plant extract performs really well. Dr. Sosa also likes having conversations with his outstanding colleagues in Singapore, Germany, and the US.
“I can write a book with all the things I really like while I am working with my team,” says Dr. Gustavo.
Being a Visionary Leader
Dr. Sosa believes that the leader is in charge and that they are doing a great job of motivating the workforce. Visionary individuals are unique. A visionary is someone who “sees” the future and puts in a lot of effort to accomplish his goals. The leader assists in reaching the visionary aim. He believes that anyone working in a fast-paced industry like crop protection always has a visionary goal with one foot in the present and one in the future. The problems are created on a daily basis. The new issues demand the new technology that we will need to create in the future.
In spite of the fact that there is a growing need for new technology in some ways but not others, we must carefully consider what the future will require in order to plan for it. According to Jorge Luis Borges, “The future has the ability to fall down.” The future structures we are going to construct today must provide the correct answers to the problems we are currently facing. According to Dr. Gustavo, science is the finest means of ensuring that the future continues to advance.
distinguishable from competitors
Dr. Sosa claims that other companies start from a different point of view. They gather plants in the field. But not every plant is the same. They must discover the plants engaged in a “battle” over the available area. in regions where the water supply is constrained. Plants must adapt to their environment in order to survive under water stress because they are in an uncomfortable state and cannot use any chemical methods. They are using chemical warfare to defend their agricultural region. They employ that chemical approach to discover fresh and innovative chemicals for the crop protection industry.
Another distinct feature is that there are Ph.D. student-employees at INBIOAR. They are both present simultaneously. They are hired by the INBIOAR if they have the aptitude to be a Ph. D. candidate and a strong sense of a company with them. Because receiving a Ph. D. gives students the chance to explore the world of science, they are aware of the company’s restrictions and how to find new funding sources by pursuing their Ph.D. under the “umbrella” of a company. According to Dr. Sosa, scientific research can influence society for the better. The people that work with them are highly aware of it.
Dr. Gustavo adds, “I am sure we are not the only one company in the world using this strategy, but we are the ones with results that the companies expect, and we are transferring them to the industry.”
Research Limitations
Dr. Gustavo is concerned about GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and the advantages that this technology has brought about. They are currently working to replace it with natural or biological products. In order to grasp what will happen next in this dynamic world, we must be vigilant. He contends that while we must see the advantages of biology, we must also envision the constraints this technology will have in the future. When a tool used now is no longer useful in 50 to 80 years, we need to consider what will come after that. Dr. Sosa argues today’s solution lies in biology. But the biologicals’ success will be short-lived.
For the Farmers
According to Dr. Gustavo Sosa, it’s crucial to listen to farmers’ dreams as they reflect on their labor. He thinks about listening to the next generation of scientists and farmers. They will bring fresh perspectives and fresh inquiries.
He thinks that they need to understand what farmers think and that they need to listen to them in a way that is dreamlike and without limitations. Farmers will ultimately be the ones using the technologies and working to improve the work they do throughout the course of the workday.
Dr. Sosa approaches farmers and asks them to let go of limitations and boundaries so they can dream freely about the kind of agriculture they want. This is the long-term goal for the research programs.
Success in His Eyes
According to Dr. Gustavo Sosa, the results are a less romantic approach to defining success. To maintain the business, we need to see results. However, the way we approach things is different. He believes that if we develop as a team, we may reach them with “success.” There must be some success for each of us.
Success in a place while remaining alone does not make sense. Sharing success with people who contributed to the effort is its best feature. Success requires hard labor. The tough part is how we get there while listening to what each of us wants for the future as a team.
When will a person be pleased after achieving success? According to Dr. Gustavo, it is best to keep frustration away from the team because it is a very destructive ingredient.
Message for Future Rivals
Dr. Sosa, the founder, promised to begin the process of handing over the INBIOAR door key to the following generation not long after that.
For the shift to be seamless, numerous factors must line up during the process. The world will continue to change for the new door key holder, as it usually does. Limitations as they were previously faced with. However, in order to get things done in INBIOAR, one must keep the fire burning. As a founder and motivated leader, he advises: “do what you love. To never work again, you must genuinely love it for the rest of your life. You will put in more effort than anyone else from that perspective. You’ll experience unmatched freedom. and you’ll think extremely freely because your love for what you do will inspire wonderful concepts.”
Written by Steve Sanchez.
