Safe and secure food production is central to the European Farm to Fork policy. However, secure crop production still depends on the widespread use of chemical pesticides, which is associated with negative impacts on the environment and human health. Diminishing use of so-called ‘candidates for substitution’ identified in Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 is of particular importance for combating harmful effects. SAGROPIA employs integrated pest management (IPM) to demonstrate substitution and reduction of chemical pesticides in the cultivation of potato and sugar beet. To grant affordability and ready acceptance by farmers, SAGROPIA envisions not simple replacement of chemical pesticides but incorporation of its solutions into innovative, comprehensive IPM strategies. Effectiveness will be demonstrated in participatory real life-trials performed in five potato and sugar beet growing European regions with active participation and engagement of farmers.
Agroscope contributes mainly to WP3 and WP4 where improved IPM strategies are developed, validated and demonstrated.