Lately, I’ve been having this growing curiosity about where our food comes from—not just in terms of geography, but how it’s actually grown. What’s going into the soil? What’s being sprayed on crops? What’s getting washed away into our rivers? I guess the older I get, the more I care about this stuff.

What even are agricultural biologicals?

Honestly, until recently, I thought farming was mostly about tractors and fertilizers and pesticides—very industrial. But biologicals are different. They’re made from living things or natural materials. So instead of spraying chemicals to kill pests or dumping synthetic fertilizer into the soil, farmers can use stuff like microbes, plant extracts, or even beneficial insects to protect crops or make the soil healthier.

It’s not some new-age, fringe thing either. It’s just a different way of doing agriculture that’s more in tune with how ecosystems actually work. And I can see why that’s appealing now more than ever.

A few days ago, I was reading a report from Roots Analysis (kind of stumbled onto it by accident), and something stuck with me. They mentioned that the agricultural biologicals market is expected to grow from USD 15.12 billion in 2024 to USD 43.53 billion by 2035. That’s almost triple in size in just over a decade, with a 10% yearly growth rate.

I’m not usually one to care about numbers like that, but this one made me pause. Why is that happening? What’s driving so much interest in biologicals? So, I did what I usually do when something catches my attention—I went down a bit of a rabbit hole.

Talking to people who actually work the land

I ended up chatting with someone who runs a small farm not too far from where I live. He said that a few years back, he started experimenting with biological products—not to be trendy, but because the synthetic stuff was starting to backfire. Weeds got harder to kill, pests kept adapting, and the soil just wasn’t what it used to be.

What surprised me was how honest he was about the switch. He didn’t sugarcoat it. It took trial and error. Some of the early products didn’t do much. But over time, his fields started to bounce back. He saw more earthworms in the soil. His crops didn’t need as many chemical treatments. And the bees came back. That last part really stuck with me.

This isn’t just a farming issue

Even if you’re not in agriculture, this still matters. What goes into our soil ends up in our food and water. If we keep relying on synthetic solutions, we’re going to keep facing the same problems—soil erosion, resistant pests, contaminated water. Biologicals aren’t a fix-all, but they do seem to offer a smarter, cleaner way forward.

And maybe that’s why the market is growing so fast. It’s not just because it’s profitable (though clearly, there’s money being invested). It’s because farmers are looking for something that works better long-term. Something that doesn’t just fight problems but actually restores some balance.

The takeaway

I’m not a farmer or a scientist. I’m just someone trying to make sense of where things are heading. And from everything I’ve read, heard, and seen, it feels like agricultural biologicals aren’t just a trend—they’re part of a bigger shift. Toward sustainability. Toward paying attention. Toward doing things differently, and maybe even better.

If you're someone who cares about the future of food, it’s worth learning more about this. Not in a sales-y, headline-chasing kind of way. Just as a person who eats, lives on this planet, and wants things to keep working for the next generation.