EIP-AGRI activities related to sustainable use of pesticides

Plant health is vital for agriculture, environment, landscape, and biodiversity. Sustaining plant health must be achieved without putting further strain on the environment. Avoiding hazardous chemicals when addressing pests protects the environment as well as pollinators, natural pest enemies, beneficial organisms, and the people and animals who depend on plants.

The Farm-to-Fork strategy highlights the need to transition to a fair, healthy, and environmentally friendly food system. The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a new Regulation on the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products, including EU wide targets to reduce by 50% the use and risk of chemical pesticides by 2030, in line with the EU’s Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies. Integrated Pest Management (IPM), low-pesticide-input pest management, is promoting under the new Regulation. IPM focuses on pest prevention and prioritises alternative pest control methods, with chemical pesticides only used as a last resort. Further information on the proposal can be found in this article, on the EU’s Sustainable use of pesticides page and in this video.

Alongside new regulations and initiatives, the EU’s innovation and research for agriculture can provide a significant contribution helping farmers and foresters to produce with a reduced use of chemical pesticides.  Many projects are already working towards reaching these targets, for example through the Rural Development Programmes 437 Operational Groups across the European Union have been financed on issues related to the sustainable use of pesticides. This represents 18% of the total number of Operational Groups currently in the database (over 2500 in August 2022).

Horizon 2020 has already funded over 30 research and innovation projects with an investment of over €160 million to protect plant health and promote integrated pest management.

Find out below what the EIP-AGRI network has been doing over the past few years to work towards these goals.

Check out the EIP-AGRI newsletter from September 2022 which is dedicated to sustainable use of pesticides.

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EIP-AGRI Focus Groups

EIP-AGRI Focus Groups are temporary groups of selected experts focusing on a specific subject, sharing knowledge and experience. Several of them have worked on issues related to plant health and Integrated Pest Management, click on each link below to find reports, factsheets and more:

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) - Focus on Brassica species
• Non-chemical weed management in arable cropping systems
• Bee health and sustainable bee keeping
• Diseases and pests in viticulture
• Optimising profitability of crop production through Ecological Focus Areas
• Organic farming – Optimising arable yields
• Pests and diseases of the olive tree
• Protecting agricultural soils from contamination
• IPM practices for soil-borne diseases suppression in vegetables and arable crops
• Sustainable ways to reduce the use of pesticides in pome and stone fruit production

EIP-AGRI events

The EIP-AGRI holds workshops and seminars on specific topics. Click on each link to find reports, presentations and more from events related to the sustainable use of pesticides:

• EIP-AGRI Workshop Cropping for the future: networking for crop rotation and crop diversification
• EIP-AGRI workshop 'Organic is Operational'
• EIP-AGRI Workshop Conversion to organic farming
• EIP-AGRI Workshop Tools for environmental farm performance 
• EIP-AGRI seminar: Healthy soils for Europe: sustainable management through knowledge and practice
• EIP-AGRI workshop: Shaping the EU mission ‘Caring for soil is caring for life’
• Agri-Innovation summit 2019 on the transition to agroecology
• EIP-AGRI brokerage event 'Get involved in the EU Mission: A Soil Deal for Europe'

EIP-AGRI publications

As well as the Focus Group and event reports (from above), the EIP-AGRI has produced the following publications which are related to the sustainable use of pesticides:

• EIP-AGRI Factsheet on IPM for Brassica
• EIP-AGRI Factsheet Soil-borne Diseases
• EIP-AGRI Factsheet on Diseases and pests in viticulture
• EIP-AGRI Brochure Organic is operational
• EIP-AGRI Brochure Sustainable and resilient farming: Inspiration from agro-ecology
• EIP-AGRI Factsheet on Ecological Focus Areas
• Agrinnovation magazine - Issue n° 7 - September 2020 (focus on soil health)
• EIP-AGRI Brochure Organic farming: Innovative approaches to support conversion

EIP-AGRI Videos

Watch these videos on examples of initiatives related to the sustainable use of pesticides from the EIP-AGRI network:

• AGRI Challenge: Non-chemical weed management in arable cropping systems
• AGRI Challenge: increasing biodiversity in agricultural landscapes
• AGRI Challenge: Pests and diseases in olive trees in Mediterranean regions – 4 May 2020 
• AGRI Challenge: Monitoring bee health through beehive sensors

• AGRI challenge: sustainable pome and stone fruit

Inspirational ideas from the network

Articles on examples of initiatives related to the sustainable use of pesticides from the EIP-AGRI network:

• Inspirational ideas: Vineyard app for plant protection (ES)
• Inspirational ideas: Crop health and pesticide resistance (UK)
• Inspirational ideas: Fighting grapevine trunk diseases (ES)
• Inspirational ideas: Dealing with pests from the air (FR)
• Inspirational ideas: Smart sensors to better understand plant growth (NL, Serbia)
• Inspirational ideas: Ideas for IPM (NL, SI, CH)
• Inspirational ideas: Changing weather conditions force olive farmers to start with pest management (IT)
• Inspirational ideas: Olive groves and drones - science fiction turned reality (ES)
• Inspirational ideas: Combatting weeds with non-chemical alternatives (PT)
• Inspirational ideas: A mobile app to monitor pests and diseases in Umbria, Italy (IT)
• Inspirational ideas: Biostimulants for sustainable agriculture (IT)
• Inspirational ideas: Chickens tackle weeds in Portuguese vineyards (PT)
• Inspirational ideas: Weed control without chemicals (IE)
• Inspirational ideas: Co-designing measures for grass weed control in arable systems (DE)
• Inspirational ideas: Weed control in organic viticulture (FR)
• Inspirational ideas: Sustainable farming in French Guiana (FR)
• Inspirational idea: Certification of Pesticide residue free fruit & veg
• Inspirational idea: Controlling wireworms in potato production

Horizon projects

• IPMWORKS - An EU-wide farm network demonstrating and promoting cost-effective IPM strategies: website – CORDIS
• IPMDecisions: Stepping-up IPM decision support for crop protection: CORDIS - website
• OPTIMA: Optimised Pest Integrated Management to precisely detect and control plant diseases in perennial crops and open-field vegetables: CORDIS - website
• INNOSETA Thematic network: Accelerating Innovative practices for Spraying Equipment, Training and Advising in European agriculture through the mobilization of Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems: CORDIS - website
• WINETWORK Thematic network for the exchange and transfer of innovative knowledge between European wine-growing regions to increase the productivity and sustainability of the sector: CORDIS - website 
• SMARTPROTECT Thematic network: SMART agriculture for innovative vegetable crop PROTECTion: harnessing advanced methodologies and technologies: CORDIS - website
• VIRTIGATION - Emerging viral diseases in tomatoes and cucurbits: implementation of mitigation strategies for durable disease management: website – CORDIS
• IPM Popillia - Integrated Pest Management of the invasive Japanese Beetle, Popillia japonica: website – CORDIS
• PESTNU -  Field -testing and demonstration of digital and space based technologies with agro-ecological and organic practices in systemic innovation: website - CORDIS - video
• NOVATERRA - Integrated novel strategies for reducing the use and impact of pesticides, towards sustainable Mediterranean vineyards and olive grove: website - CORDIS 
• WELASER - sustainable weed management in agriculture with laser-based autonomous tools: website – CORDIS
• BIOSCHAMP - Biostimulant alternative casing for a sustainable and profitable mushroom industry: website – CORDIS
• novIGRain -  Sustainable storage of grains by implementing a novel protectant and a versatile application technology:  website – CORDIS
• Excalibur -  Exploiting the multifunctional potential of belowground biodiversity in horticultural farming:  website – CORDIS

There are many other related Horizon multi-actor projects and thematic networks, click here and scroll down to "Plant health - Pest management"

EU Commission information on the adoption of the Sustainable use of Pesticides Regulation

• EU Press release June 2022: Green Deal: pioneering proposals to restore Europe's nature by 2050 and halve pesticide use by 2030
• Sustainable use of pesticides page
• European Commission’s video ‘Adoption of the Sustainable use of Pesticides Regulation’
• Questions and Answers on New rules to reduce the risk and use of pesticides
• Factsheet on reducing the risk and use of pesticides in Europe 
• Factsheet on more sustainable use of pesticides in Europe
• Factsheet on supporting farmers to reduce the use of chemical pesticides 

Other

• European Commission's Horizon 2020 results pack (Published in May 2021): Results Pack Plant health: Keeping plants healthy while protecting the environment
• European Commission's Horizon 2020 results pack (published in Feb 2020) : Protecting plants to safeguard our future
• EIP-AGRI Newsletter April 2020 which has many articles on plant health
• "Reducing pesticides" search on the EIP-AGRI database of Operational Groups