In mid-2024, IBPRS-PIB will kick-off the realization of the project within the framework of the LIFE programme – AGROWISE Guidelines for farm-specific rules for mitigating pesticide impacts while ensuring sustainable agriculture.
AGROWISE is a an 18-month project which is led by a consortium of 8 European research organizations: INRAE – Coordinator (France), Zalf (Croatia), JKI (Germany), Teagasc (Ireland), University of Bologna (Italy), INHORT-PIB, IOR-PIB, and IBPRS-PIB (Poland), USAMV Bucharest (Romania), and (SLU) Sweden. The project partners will bring extensive experience and knowledge in Integrated Pest Management, crop protection, economics, collaboration with farmers, extension services, and scientific support to public authorities and policymakers.
The AGROWISE overarching aim is to reduce pesticide usage in participating EU countries in an economically sustainable manner.
The project comprises three primary objectives:
- Developing/improving tools to be used by policymakers, national offices, farmers’ associations and advisory services and individual farmers to ensure plant protection for major arable and permanent crops and grasslands, differentiated by agroclimatic conditions, in line with IPM principles and coherent with reduction targets under the Biodiversity and Farm-to-Fork strategies.
- Developing/strengthening support systems to make these practices economically sustainable and acceptable to farmers, including consideration of the role of different stakeholders within the food supply chain.
- Communicating findings on best practices in a way that is understandable by stakeholders at different levels, including farmers and identifying ways to integrate the project outcomes into regulatory mechanisms and practices.