IPMWORKS on the EIP-Agri EU CAP Network workshop ‘Innovative arable crop protection - using pesticides sustainably’
IPMWORKS joined the workshop ‘Innovative arable crop protection – using pesticides sustainably’ in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, from Wednesday 19 to Friday 21 April 2023, organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) and the Support Facility for Innovation & Knowledge exchange | EIP-AGRI.
The workshop focussed on exchanging knowledge and sharing innovative, inspirational practices that can support farmers, advisors and other stakeholders along the value chain to ensure greater uptake of non-chemical plant protection methods in arable crops by using economically and ecologically sustainable approaches.
During the showcase of examples of innovative practices part of the workshop, Nicolas Munier-Jolain, IPMWORKS project coordinator, presented our project, capturing the interest of the audience about the IPM demonstration farm network, with acknowledgement of both its importance and the method developed at IPMWORKS.
During the workshop, the participants visited innovative farms working on pesticide use reduction in the area around Amsterdam. One of them was an IPMWORKS farm, from the hub managed by Geert Kessel (Wageningen University & Research), Gilbert van Campen’s farm. Gilbert van Campen is an innovative arable farmer who implements agro-ecology and precision technology methods to further improve his production process and make it more sustainable. Gilbert produces potatoes, reducing quite significantly his pesticide use thanks to (i) resistant cultivars, (ii) Decision Support Systems, and (iii) technological solutions, including a remote camera on the tractor to drive precision spraying.
