Periodic Reporting for period 1 - IPMWORKS (An EU-wide farm network demonstrating and promoting cost-effective IPM strategies)
Berichtszeitraum: 2020-10-01 bis 2022-03-31
The Farm-to-Fork strategy, a significant component of the European Green Deal, has set the ambitious target of halving pesticide use and impact in agriculture by 2030. Reducing pesticide use is possible, but difficult, since most farmers consider to make only justified treatments, based on rational decision making, only in cases with pest pressure likely to cause unacceptable yield losses. However, some pioneer farmers are actually using significantly less pesticide than others by implementing a holistic vision of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), based on combinations of non-chemical approaches, including a stronger use of ecology-based processes, more diversity and more biodiversity, combined with innovative technologies (robotics, precision agriculture, Decision Support Systems, biocontrol). The core of IPMWORKS is to coordinate such pioneer farms in an EU-wide network and to organise demonstration events based on actual daily practices in those farms, so as to convince the whole farming community that reducing the reliance on pesticides is possible.
A number of farmers motivated by sustainable farming are still not fully implementing holistic IPM, a consequence of decades of agriculture simplification and intensification with the help of chemical inputs. IPMWORKS aims at helping motivated farmers who joined the network to progress towards holistic IPM and to decrease their pesticide use, hence offering a wider range of “success stories in IPM adoption” to support IPMWORKS demo activities. Building on previous experiences, IPMWORKS suggested a specific methodology for this purpose, based on hubs of farms from the same region, sharing the same crops, the same pest problems and the same motivation to overcome these problems. Hubs are facilitated by ‘hub coaches’, helping farmers to find their own site-specific solutions and fostering peer-to-peer knowledge sharing about the functioning of agroecosystems. Hub coaches and farmers form a European community, along with the 5 national pre-existing networks on IPM demonstration affiliated to the IPMWORKS network: DEPHY (FR), LEAF (UK), DIPS (DE), GROEN-AoZ (NL) and PESTIRED (CH). This community shares the same objectives and the same methodology, aiming to progress further in the adoption of holistic IPM and to convince the whole farming community.
IPMWORKS supporting activities include (i) human science research providing recommendations and tools for refining the working methods, (ii) the development of an IPM Resource Toolbox facilitating access to available digital resources helping in the adoption of IPM, (iii) a data collection strategy defined to support the demonstration that holistic IPM is efficient and cost-effective, (iv) the development of training material for farm advisers, and (vi) a communication and dissemination strategy. Finally, IPMWORKS is preparing the future sustainability and geographical extension of the network with specific activities targeting policy makers at EU, national and regional levels.
A number of farmers motivated by sustainable farming are still not fully implementing holistic IPM, a consequence of decades of agriculture simplification and intensification with the help of chemical inputs. IPMWORKS aims at helping motivated farmers who joined the network to progress towards holistic IPM and to decrease their pesticide use, hence offering a wider range of “success stories in IPM adoption” to support IPMWORKS demo activities. Building on previous experiences, IPMWORKS suggested a specific methodology for this purpose, based on hubs of farms from the same region, sharing the same crops, the same pest problems and the same motivation to overcome these problems. Hubs are facilitated by ‘hub coaches’, helping farmers to find their own site-specific solutions and fostering peer-to-peer knowledge sharing about the functioning of agroecosystems. Hub coaches and farmers form a European community, along with the 5 national pre-existing networks on IPM demonstration affiliated to the IPMWORKS network: DEPHY (FR), LEAF (UK), DIPS (DE), GROEN-AoZ (NL) and PESTIRED (CH). This community shares the same objectives and the same methodology, aiming to progress further in the adoption of holistic IPM and to convince the whole farming community.
IPMWORKS supporting activities include (i) human science research providing recommendations and tools for refining the working methods, (ii) the development of an IPM Resource Toolbox facilitating access to available digital resources helping in the adoption of IPM, (iii) a data collection strategy defined to support the demonstration that holistic IPM is efficient and cost-effective, (iv) the development of training material for farm advisers, and (vi) a communication and dissemination strategy. Finally, IPMWORKS is preparing the future sustainability and geographical extension of the network with specific activities targeting policy makers at EU, national and regional levels.
So far, a significant part of the efforts has been focused on building the network and on defining and sharing the methodology. Partners in charge of launching new hubs of Demo farms recruited hub coaches and selected motivated farmers (either already implementing holistic IPM and using little amount of pesticides or motivated to change their pest management strategies). The NEFERTITI/FarmDemo platform was adapted to host the IPMWORKS hubs and the publication of demo events. A survey was performed to collect information from IPMWORKS farmers about their IPM awareness, IPM adoption and self-evaluation of the efficiency and cost-efficiency of their crop and pest management strategy. It informed on farmers motivations and actual practices and provided a baseline about practices and pesticide use in the farms. Hub coaches received internal training on the technical aspects of IPM in different agricultural sectors, and ‘soft skills’ about how to i) manage a group of farmers, ii) facilitate knowledge sharing, iii) promote changes in pest management strategies. The whole IPMWORKS methodology is strongly built on previous experiences from national farm Demo networks and European projects.
The communication channels of the project are targeting both external public (website, external newsletter, YouTube Channel, Social Media) and internal communication. A FarmDemo Conference was organised jointly with the H2020 projects NEFERTITI and IPM Decisions in May 2022 in Brussels, giving the opportunity to showcase the FarmDemo methodology and tools to promote the general adoption of holistic IPM.
Finally, supporting resources started early in the project. A survey targeting IPM stakeholders allowed to define the specification of the IPM Resource Toolbox that will provide easy access to digital resources available in Europe about IPM, including resources from previous European projects and the IPM Decisions platform and its Decision Support Systems made available to optimise decision making in pest management. A first version of the IPM Resource Toolbox has been developed and tested internally. Many partners of the projects are also actively involved in the development of the training material that will form external training sessions.
Some partners organised early demo events during the first 18 months. This core aspect of the project will mainly start from spring 2022 on. Each hub is expected to organise 12 demo events based on daily practices of IPMWORKS farmers along the course of the project (~250 events).
The communication channels of the project are targeting both external public (website, external newsletter, YouTube Channel, Social Media) and internal communication. A FarmDemo Conference was organised jointly with the H2020 projects NEFERTITI and IPM Decisions in May 2022 in Brussels, giving the opportunity to showcase the FarmDemo methodology and tools to promote the general adoption of holistic IPM.
Finally, supporting resources started early in the project. A survey targeting IPM stakeholders allowed to define the specification of the IPM Resource Toolbox that will provide easy access to digital resources available in Europe about IPM, including resources from previous European projects and the IPM Decisions platform and its Decision Support Systems made available to optimise decision making in pest management. A first version of the IPM Resource Toolbox has been developed and tested internally. Many partners of the projects are also actively involved in the development of the training material that will form external training sessions.
Some partners organised early demo events during the first 18 months. This core aspect of the project will mainly start from spring 2022 on. Each hub is expected to organise 12 demo events based on daily practices of IPMWORKS farmers along the course of the project (~250 events).
Since the network of Demo farms is now set and operational, IPMWORKS will engage more actively in demo events and dissemination activities. The ~250 demo events based on “success stories in IPM adoption” in IPMWORKS hubs and in pre-existing national networks will hit thousands of farmers, showing them that adopting IPM is possible. Each hub will produce 1 video for the YouTube channel, 2 leaflets and practice abstracts. Contributions in conferences, agricultural fairs and technical meetings will disseminate on the benefits of the adoption of holistic IPM.
A survey planned during winter 2022/2023 will collect details on cropping systems and crop management in IPMWORKS farms and compute indicators of pesticide use and cost-efficiency, providing quantitative evidence that IPM works when applied with all the IPM components (including prevention methods and non-chemical control, combined with a holistic approach). The dataset will be made available to be re-used by future projects. A second occurrence of the survey on IPM awareness and adoption will be done during winter 2023-2024 to measure the benefits of the IPMWORKS approach (i.e. hub coaching facilitating peer-to-peer knowledge sharing across affiliated farmers) to promote IPM adoption.
Finally, policy dialogue held at EU, national and regional level to promote the role of IPMWORKS in supporting the reduction of pesticide use, external training of farmers and advisers, and the communication strategy will pave the way for the future extension of the network beyond the project lifetime. The objective is to expand the number of hubs and demo farms and the geographical coverage of the network to other EU Member States, to involve and convince more farmers to revise their crop and pest management strategies and finally contribute to reach the target of halving pesticide use in Europe.
A survey planned during winter 2022/2023 will collect details on cropping systems and crop management in IPMWORKS farms and compute indicators of pesticide use and cost-efficiency, providing quantitative evidence that IPM works when applied with all the IPM components (including prevention methods and non-chemical control, combined with a holistic approach). The dataset will be made available to be re-used by future projects. A second occurrence of the survey on IPM awareness and adoption will be done during winter 2023-2024 to measure the benefits of the IPMWORKS approach (i.e. hub coaching facilitating peer-to-peer knowledge sharing across affiliated farmers) to promote IPM adoption.
Finally, policy dialogue held at EU, national and regional level to promote the role of IPMWORKS in supporting the reduction of pesticide use, external training of farmers and advisers, and the communication strategy will pave the way for the future extension of the network beyond the project lifetime. The objective is to expand the number of hubs and demo farms and the geographical coverage of the network to other EU Member States, to involve and convince more farmers to revise their crop and pest management strategies and finally contribute to reach the target of halving pesticide use in Europe.