Overview
Entrepreneurship has traditionally been defined as the process of designing, launching and running a new business, which typically begins as a small business, such as a startup company, offering a product, process or service for sale or hire.[1]
Today, our project, PANTIDE, has a complete idea and experience to prove its effect. First, we introduced the business model, which is designed for giving concise information of our project to the agricultural corporations or other potential customers. It consists of three parts including the problem, the solution, and the schedule, to explain why we want to choose this problem, how we solve them, and when we will launch our product. Second, we analyzed the future marketing to discuss three issues including the use of pesticide, organic agriculture, and technological agriculture. Next, we grasped the regulation of the manufacturing and using it in the real world to get a certificate from the government. Last but not least, we have listed the sponsors who added us financially.
Marketing & Future
In this part, we are going to discuss the market analysis, publicity and future works.
Marketing
Our target customers focus on the organic farmers and large-scale agriculture. Therefore, we want to learn about the organic food marketing, pesticide and biological pesticide marketing , and the situation of technological agriculture. Therefore, we investigated the researchers about the markets including thee parts-the usage of pesticide, organic agriculture, and technological agriculture. All of the market are increasing. It shows that PANTIDE has the great potential to develop.
- The Organic Food Market
- The demand of the organic food rises rapidly in the world. The marketing value was 72 billion USDs in 2013, which was five times larger than in 1999. Moreover, for the supply part, the production area in 170 countries was 43 million hectares in 2013.[2]
- The pesticide Market
- According the lastest market research, the pesticide market is growing in North America and Asia-Pacific. The value of pesticide will increase from $13 billion to $16 billion in five years and its CAGR is 4.7%.[3]
- The Biopesticide Market
- According to the research from BCC(2014), the global biopesticide markets will rise to 390 million USDs by 2019 and its CAGR will be 13.9%. [4]
- In the BCC Reserch(2014), the proportions of biopesticide in global markets is 5.8%. Compared with pesticides, it will grow to 8.2%.[4]
- The Accurate Agriculture by Technology Market
- According to the report from the near market research, 4.80 billion is expected for the precise farming market by 2020.[5]
- In 2015, AgTech Investing Report shows that $4.6 billion is funded in food and agriculture technology startups, which contains venture capital accurate agriculture. [6]
Publicity
In addition to analyzing the market, we also did some survey.
- We visited the target customer segments and the organic farmers to clarify the organic market trend and customer needs.
- Questionnaire investigation of organic agriculture and biological pestcide help us understand what kinds of product that the public want to use.
- Participation in the 2016 International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition help us raise our public profile.
Future
This summer, we have done the preliminary laboratory assessment and developed a embryonic stage of gathering funds. However, practices in testing the product in the real farmland is a prerequisite for large-scale commercialization
- Find the maximum lethal concentration of Pantide
- Through the sonicating bacteria, we want to find the best condition for pest control.
- Manufacturing the Pantide
- Efficiently and Highly Production of Pantide
- Standard Series of The Production
- New Use from Old Proteins
- We may find the new functional device of proteins by using our databases.
- Other Applications
- With the same idea, we may use the detector to immediately monitor the mosquito to take precautions against the dengue.
Law & Regulation
Q1. Whether the Pantide using in farmlands is a kind of organic agriculture?
Though different institutes have different definitions of the organic agriculture, the main idea is the same. Organic agriculture is based on minimizing the use of external inputs, avoiding the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. The primary goal is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people.
The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) defines four principles of the organic agriculture and our Pantide conform with all of them:
Health: To sustain and enhance the health of ecosystems and organisms. It should avoid the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that may have adverse health effects.
Our Pantide is a kind of biorepellent, which is natural and eco-friendly. Compare to the chemical pesticide, Pantide can minimize the harm to the environment and can make a healthier ecosystem.
Ecology: Be based on living ecological systems and cycles, work with them, emulate them and help sustain them.
The main idea of our Pantide is the food chain from spiders to insects. We want to choose an ecological way to help the farming but not to harm the environment so we learn from the Mother Nature to ensure our Pantide is sustainable and safe.
Fairness: Should build on relationships that ensure fairness with regard to the common environment and life opportunities.
Pantide is oral-active so that it is only against the insects eating the crops. Also, because of the distinctive mechanism, it only works on the specific species that have adverse effect on the crops. As a result, the Pantide will not harm other organisms to make sure that we maintain the fairness among the ecosystem.
Care: Practitioners of Organic Agriculture can enhance efficiency and increase productivity, but this should not be at the risk of jeopardizing health and well-being.
Consequently, new technologies need to be assessed and existing methods reviewed.
Our device can enhance efficiency due to the remote monitor. It can not only decrease the burden of the farmers but also increase productivity. Before using in the practical farmlands, we have tested many times.
Q2. What should we do to get the pesticide permit?
Most countries share the similar application process to permit the new pesticide.
Pantide is a new biorepellent so it might be determine whether it is a biopesticide or not. If it belongs to pesticide, we first need to confirm what kind of pesticide we made. In most countries like Taiwan and the USA, Pantide belongs to the category of the biopesticide, while some countries, EU and Japan included, consider that there are no viable bacteria in the Pantide, so it applies to the regulation of the chemical pesticide.
Second, the pesticide and the production plant must be tested to be safe.
Finally, the pesticide must be registered with the related government institution before they can be distributed commercially. A registration application must include information regarding testing, the identity of the product, draft labeling, information on tolerance of residues, and other safety-related information.
Figure 2. Logo of Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection
and Quarantine, Council of Agriculture (BAPHIQ)
Q3. Is there any related application to the biopesticide?
In Taiwan, to get the government permit, the laboratory need to get the Good Laboratory Practice Application (GLP) first. GLP regulates the safety and the quality of the laboratory in a manufacturing company.
Besides to the permit from the government, there is an application called MIT Smile application, which means the product is made in Taiwan during the whole process.
In the US, the most important application to food and drugs is FDA application given by the Food and Drug Administration. This application shows the product confirms the regulations and meets the safety level.
Figure 3. Logo of MIT Smile application and FDA application.