Nano-pesticides: Emerging Opportunities for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security

The excessive application of conventional pesticides has detrimental effects on soil health and the environment. Chemical remnants of these pesticides damage the soil environment by impacting nontargeted organisms and, with time, decreasing soil fertility. Thus, to effectively manage insect pests in agricultural fields without deterioration of the surrounding biota, nanotechnology has proven to be a significant substitute for conventional chemical pesticides. Compared with conventional pesticides, nanopesticides reduce and control excess agricultural inputs and maintain environmental balance in addition to improving the shelf life and nutritional content of produce. This technology offers more potential for sustainably enhancing worldwide food production. Currently employed conventional pest management strategies are inadequate and have several harmful impacts on the environment and humankind. There is a serious need for the development of safe and promising formulations and the implementation of a regulatory framework for the safe use of nanopesticides. This chapter addresses the need for nanopesticides for sustainable agriculture, their environmental efficacy, their associated benefits and disadvantages, and the prospects of nanopesticides.