Agenor Mafra-Neto

Dr. Agenor Mafra-Neto is the founder, president, and CEO of ISCA Inc., which for more than two decades has developed and delivered eco-friendly solutions for the sustainable management of insect pests that damage crops or transmit human diseases.

Growing up on his family’s farms in Brazil, Dr. Mafra-Neto developed a lifelong fascination with nature and agriculture. His studies in biology led him to the emerging field of semiochemicals—natural compounds that influence animal behavior—as a powerful, environmentally sound way to manage insects. These compounds can target not only harmful pests, such as caterpillars and malaria-transmitting mosquitoes, but also beneficial insects, including pollinators.

In 1996, he founded ISCA to overcome the technical, cost, and operational barriers that had long limited the use of pheromones and other semiochemicals in large-scale agriculture. Under his leadership, ISCA has become a global leader in the discovery, synthesis, formulation, commercialization, and deployment of semiochemical-based solutions for both specialty and row crops.

ISCA’s innovations apply multiple behavioral strategies: attracting pollinators like honey bees to blooming fields to enhance yields; disrupting pest mating cycles to prevent infestations; luring pests to small dollops containing microdoses of killing agents; and repelling them from crops altogether. These behavior-modifying methods boost productivity while dramatically reducing dependence on conventional insecticides—crops protected by ISCA’s products use up to 98% less pesticide to control targeted pests.

Today, ISCA’s green technologies are accessible and affordable to growers around the world. The urgency of this work has never been greater: pollinators—vital to all flowering plants—are in alarming decline, while insect pests are becoming increasingly resistant to genetically modified crops and traditional chemical insecticides. ISCA’s species-specific products provide an environmentally sound alternative that protects both crops and ecosystems.

With a recent strategic investment from, and partnership with, De Sangosse, ISCA is now expanding its global footprint to bring sustainable pest management solutions to even more farmers and regions worldwide.