PESTEFFECT | Towards effective and efficient pest management in agriculture

Summary
Résumé: The reduction of environmental and health risks from pesticide use is a major challenge for agriculture and on top of the agricultural policy agenda. Despite substantial efforts, current pesticide policies have not reached their reduction targets. Recent research shows that targeting farmers’ application behavior could be key for advancing pesticide policies. However, our theoretical understanding of the farmers’ decision-making process is limited and empirical studies on the main drivers of inefficient decisions are missing. The interdisciplinary PESTEFFECT project will i) advance our understanding of farmers’ pesticide use decisions, ii) quantify impacts of the main drivers of inefficient decisions, and iii) identify risk reduction potentials on a regional level. In the project, we will i) develop a conceptual and empirical model of farmers’ pesticide use decisions that integrates concepts from agricultural economics, agronomy, and ecology, ii) provide the first empirical analysis of economic and environmental effects of inefficient pest management decisions using an econometric model and iii) provide temporally- and spatially explicit assessments of risk reduction potentials on a regional level using multi-layered maps. For our analysis, we will use a unique, long-term dataset on farmers’ management decisions, environmental conditions, and biodiversity (losses) from Western France. Results will support the development of pesticide policies targeting inefficient pest management decisions and the creation of guidelines for farmers and farm advisors. The project will thus contribute to a more sustainable agriculture in Europe.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101027340
Start date: 01-02-2022
End date: 02-02-2024
Total budget - Public funding: 184 707,84 Euro - 184 707,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

Résumé: The reduction of environmental and health risks from pesticide use is a major challenge for agriculture and on top of the agricultural policy agenda. Despite substantial efforts, current pesticide policies have not reached their reduction targets. Recent research shows that targeting farmers’ application behavior could be key for advancing pesticide policies. However, our theoretical understanding of the farmers’ decision-making process is limited and empirical studies on the main drivers of inefficient decisions are missing. The interdisciplinary PESTEFFECT project will i) advance our understanding of farmers’ pesticide use decisions, ii) quantify impacts of the main drivers of inefficient decisions, and iii) identify risk reduction potentials on a regional level. In the project, we will i) develop a conceptual and empirical model of farmers’ pesticide use decisions that integrates concepts from agricultural economics, agronomy, and ecology, ii) provide the first empirical analysis of economic and environmental effects of inefficient pest management decisions using an econometric model and iii) provide temporally- and spatially explicit assessments of risk reduction potentials on a regional level using multi-layered maps. For our analysis, we will use a unique, long-term dataset on farmers’ management decisions, environmental conditions, and biodiversity (losses) from Western France. Results will support the development of pesticide policies targeting inefficient pest management decisions and the creation of guidelines for farmers and farm advisors. The project will thus contribute to a more sustainable agriculture in Europe.

Status

TERMINATED

Call topic

MSCA-IF-2020

Update Date

28-04-2024
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Horizon 2020
H2020-EU.1. EXCELLENT SCIENCE
H2020-EU.1.3. EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
H2020-EU.1.3.2. Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
MSCA-IF-2020 Individual Fellowships