Sustainable agriculture through novel pesticides using an integrated approach

The European Farm to Fork policy (F2F) emphasizes on achieving food safety and security. However, consistently high yields rely on the widespread use of chemical pesticides, which need to be reduced because of their detrimental impacts on the environment and human health. Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 identifies candidates for substitution (CfS), highlighting the importance for policymakers to replace specific active substances. This shift is challenging for the agrifood sector in the face of increasing pathogen and pest pressures in a changing environment. Finding alternatives to traditional plant protection products (PPP) is especially challenging for row crops like potato or sugar beet, which face high pathogen pressure. Biocontrol solutions have shown success in indoor and high-value crops, but achieving scale for row crops requires innovative strategies integrated into comprehensive pest management plans. Considering their economic significance as sources for food, feed, and processed products, the SAGROPIA project aims to showcase effective integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for potato and sugar beet crops, offering sustainable alternatives to chemical PPPs.

SAGROPIA is dedicated to transforming plant protection in European agriculture through the introduction of thirteen biological and low-risk pesticides, which shall replace some CfS and active substances that are currently in use. Specifically targeting potato and sugar-beet crops, the project aims to seamlessly integrate new and sustainable solutions to plant protection into comprehensive IPM strategies. The overall objective is to achieve a significant reduction in the reliance on chemical pesticides. This underscores the project’s strong commitment to mitigating adverse effects in crop production on natural resources, people, and the environment.