Project
ADOPT-IPM EU-China Joint Action to Increase Development and Adoption of IPM Tools
For decades, chemical pesticides have played a crucial role in boosting agricultural productivity and meeting global food demands. However, their overuse has led to severe environmental degradation and human health risks. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) offers a sustainable alternative. However, the adoption of IPM tools by farmers is slowed down by several key barriers, including the lack of accessibility and reliability of IPM tools. To address this, the ADOPT-IPM project, led by INRAE, unites 32 partners from the EU, China, and the UK to develop, optimize, and promote IPM tools for key crops that show high dependence on chemical pesticides, including tomatoes, leaf vegetables, maize, and wheat.
As part of this initiative, the Farming Systems Ecology group focuses on researching and promoting one practical IPM tool: strip cropping, a practically implementable intercropping practice aimed at enhancing biodiversity and reducing pest pressure.
Pests and diseases pose major threats to agricultural productivity, causing significant yield losses, economic damage, and risks to food security. While chemical pesticides have been widely used to combat these threats, their overuse has led to severe environmental degradation, biodiversity decline, and human health concerns. These challenges have intensified the need for more sustainable farming systems and eco-friendly pest management strategies.
The concept of IPM was developed in the late 1950s and has to some extent been put into practice for crop protection today. IPM provides a decision-making framework that combines multiple pest control methods, prioritizing cultural and biological tools while reserving chemical treatments as a last resort. This approach aims to provide cost effective, environmentally sound, and socially acceptable pest management.
One practical tool from the IPM toolbox is increasing the diversity of cropping systems.Well-designed diversified cropping systems can enhance plant functional diversity, thereby strengthening biological pest control.Strip cropping is a form of diversified farming that involves cultivating multiple crops in adjacent, mechanizable strips within the same field. Unlike finer-scale systems (e.g., mixed cropping), strip cropping maintains compatibility with conventional farm machinery, making it more feasible for widespread adoption.
As part of the ADOPT-IPM consortium, the FSE group evaluates the capacity of strip cropping on biological pest control and investigates the underlying mechanisms, while conducting field demonstrations to showcase its effectiveness and adaptability for farmers. By bridging science and practice, FSE aims to make strip cropping a scalable, farmer-friendly IPM strategy, that contributes to sustainable agriculture and reduced pesticide reliance.
For more information visit https://adopt-ipm.eu/