Objectives
Provide scientifically sound data evidencing the high sustainability of Agroecological Crop Protection (ACP) Systems and diffuse these proofs to stakeholders, using existing networks and two recently created ones (EU alliance “Towards a chemical-pesticide Free Agriculture” and the starting “Agroecological Crop Protection international initiative” of which ACROPICS is the first project). To this end, impact assessment of all innovations tested will be carried out, as this is a key function that has limited the impact of many projects.
Set a network of place-based model systems, involving actors across food value chains, and combining ecological, technological, organisational, social and institutional innovations enabling low-pesticide practices. These model systems will be catalysts to deploy innovations and best practices within and outside of the EU.
Implement staff exchange and actions with these model systems to (i) develop, test, and demonstrate innovations, with a reinforced focus on ecological innovations with highest sustainability indices and organisational innovation that is overlooked many projects, and (ii) carry out research activities producing enabling knowledge and know-how to improve and deploy ACP systems at large scale.
Systematically combine strategies of innovation push and innovation pull. Innovation push consisting in testing and demonstrating technologies and practices will be accompanied by a global innovation pull strategy at different levels: (i) we will focus on organisational innovations facilitating the spread of other innovations, (ii) we will work on pilot systems which themselves promote the uptake of all the technologies and practices they rely on, (iii) we will implement actions targeting changes of the exogenous context (socio-technical regimes, regulatory contexts, training/advisory systems, competing stakeholder initiatives, consumption patterns, etc.).
Specific objectives of ACROPICS are :
Co-design an innovation strategy towards sharp reduction of chemical inputs (at least -50%) and/or higher global sustainability for pilot systems (WP1), each involving all relevant actors from the pilot area and value chain, and accompanied by scientific or technical organisation locally and via staff-exchange.
Develop, Test and Demonstrate the integration of the chosen ecological, technological and organisational innovations in the pilot systems (WP2), via R&D, testing and scaling out activities strongly mobilising staff exchange between R&D organisations and actors involved in SAS.
Produce knowledge and know-how of key importance for widespread deployment of Agroecological Crop Protection, with a focus on topics that benefit from the comparative power offered by our network of pilot areas and that are enabled by international staff exchange (WP3).
Assess the economic, environmental & social sustainability of the pilot systems and of each innovation documented and tested. This will be carried out at the level of the farm, the geographical area of the pilot system and the food chain. Staff exchange will be key to train staff on sustainability assessments methods, develop consortium-wide (and finally internationally shared) approaches and implement them at pilot systems (WP4).
Foster transitions to low-input agriculture and innovation uptake by creating, using and disseminating new training guidelines, syllabi and e-learning tools, for young and future professionals (WP5); and propose new strategies to adapt and improve training to national policy makers and administrations.
Engage policy makers and advisors by sharing expertise and material describing and evaluating levers for pesticide use reduction and providing transition scenarios and recommendations for conducive strategies (WP6).
Engage with stakeholders (all along the food chain, including investors), consumers and citizens (youth and adult) about the challenges of low-input agriculture, and about the outcomes of ACROPICS (WP6).
Strengthen the generalisation of innovations and maximise widespread deployment of results by connecting ACROPICS to ongoing initiatives, networks and resources (WP7).
ACROPICS Members
