Integrated crop protection, some episodes from The Netherlands

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Integrated crop protection, some episodes from
The Netherlands

• Frank Wijnands
• Wageningen University and Research Centre
  Netherlands

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Road map

• Short introduction in Integrated crop protection
• Research and results experimental farms 1980-2000
• The pilot farm networks approach 1990-2004
• The agricultural community, responsible network
  of stakeholders approach 2004- ?
• Creating incentives ?

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Integrated crop protection

• strategic approach of sustainable crop protection
• Prevention
• Reduce need for control
• Strategical, tactical, operational
• Need of control
• Support decisions (rational)
• Control
• Non-chemical, physical, thermal, biological etc.
• Chemical,
• where, when, how and what

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Integrated Crop Protection Integrated Farming
Systems

• IOBC - integrated fruit production - 70ties
• Integrated crop protection
• Integrated farming systems
• Development since 1979
• Lautenbach (south germany)
• DFS Nagele NL, arable crops, clay soil, 72 ha
• Period from 1990-2000, IOBC european network
• Disciplinary research

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IOBC

• International Organization for the Biological and
  Integrated Control of Noxious Animals and Plants
• http//www.iobc-global.org/
• Scientific Non-profit, Non Governmental
  Organisation
• since 1956
• Studygroups, working groups and commissions
• Commission on IP guidelines since 1990
  (http//www.iobc.ch)
• Guidelines pome, stone and soft fruits, grapes,
  olives, citrus, vegetables, arable crops
• Toolbox to help organisations design ICP schemes

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ICP in the Netherlands experimental farms

• Development farming systems (integrated and
  organic)
• DFS Nagele Comparison conventional, organic and
  integrated 1978-2003
• Conventional system stopped in 1990
• More experimental sites in different regions and
  sectors period 1986-2003
• Limited continuation after 2003, focus on
  elements and on pilot farm networks

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ICP methods techniques - elements

• Proper crop rotation, optimal fertilisation
• Resistant and/or tolerant cultivars, seed
  treatments
• Decision support systems (traps, crop walking,
  weather based predictions etc.), action tresholds
• Natural enemies, biological control
• Mechanical weed control, band spraying,
  robotisation
• Low dose techniques, contact instead of soil
  herbicides and insecticides
• Precision Farming, crop scans
• Emission reduction spraying techniques

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Results NL

• Very convincing results around 1990,
• The peak in North west european intensification
  and agrochemical use
• Reductions of use and impact (various parameters)
  up to 90
• Competing economic results of th IFS systems
• Period 1990-2000
• Further reductions in use and impact
• More robust techniques, suitable for larger scale
  farms
• New pesticides contribute to firther reduction in
  impact
• Reductions of use and impact (various parameters)
  80-99 i.c. 1986-1990
• Perspectives good for application in practice

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Input active ingredient (kg/ha)
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Emission to the air, EEP-air (kg a.i./ha)
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Emission to groundwater EEPgr. water (ppb)
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EYS-waterlife ( treatments exceeding targetvalue)
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Working with farmerspilot farm approaches
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ICP/IFS in the Netherlands pilot farms

• Pilot farm network integrated farming
• 1990-1993 38 farms (arable)
• 1996-1998 18 farms (vegetable)
• Farming with future
• 2000-2003 40 farms (all sectors)
• 2004-2007 350 farms (all sectors, study groups)
• 2008-2010 network based activities

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Pilot farm networks (limited number of farms)

• Cooperation extension/advisory organisations,
  research and farmers
• Farmers are guided intensively,
• whole farm approach, agronomical demands
• analysis current situation, implementation and
  improvement plans
• guidance in building up experience with new
  approaches
• decisions farmers responsability
• Additional research and measurements
• Registration / analysis / evaluation
• Exchange in groups of experiences and farm data
• Basis for dissemination

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Pilot farms results 1990-1993

• Comparable results to the experimental farms!!!!
• Under a wide range of varying consitions
• Intensive dialogue, collaboration and growth
  process over 4 years
• Post project research (7 years later) showed a
  permanent, lasting effect
• Awareness of outside world, communication,
  responsibility, aprroaches
• Farmers concluded to have become better plant
  growers
• Relative low adoption of new routines in
  agricultural community
• Question is such an intensive proces needed for
  all, was there too litlle attention for the
  community?

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Critical success factors - farmers

• For a successfull application in practice, the
  farmer has to
• Know (knowledge of techniques and methods),
• Be able (in technical and economical terms,
  labour, risks, costs etc.)
• Have the will (vision and motivation) and
• Be allowed to do so (socially desired
  behaviour, acceptance in network)
• Awareness mentality behaviour
• Necessity/use vision/point of view/strategy -
  success

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Critical success factors - system

• Software between the ears vision, point of
  view, awarenmess
• Hardware knowledge and technology
• Orgware support in the business and social
  network

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Working in the agricultural communityNew pilot
approaches
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Farming with Future 2004-2010

• Agricultural network approach
• Together towards sustainable crop production
• 2004-2007 34 regional networks with 400
  participating farmers and the related
  stakeholders
• 2007-2010 varying cooperation's with farmers and
  stakeholders
• Related to the Covenant Crop protection, and
  the policy of The Ministry on crop protection and
  fertilisation

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Groups

• glas 5
• arable, clay 6
• arable, sand 4
• vegetables 6
• bulbs 5
• fruit 4
• nursery 4
• Total 34 400 participants

Accent glasgroepen in westen van het land,
deelnemers echter in meerdere teeltgebieden
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Stakeholders interacting dynamic network

• Producers of pesticides
• They produce it
• Suppliers of pesticides, /- advice
• They sell it
• Farmers union
• Their members use pesticides
• Water boards, drinking water companies
• They are the problem owner
• Traders
• Buy the product
• Retailers
• Sell the product
• More independent advice organisations
• They advice
• Environmental NGOs

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Major objectives

• New relevant knowledge
• On-farm testing and developing Best practices
  with farmers and stakeholders (Best practices)
• Best practices are the promising new methods
  techniques from research
• feasable and effective methods
• Realising impact and
• increasing responsibility stakeholders

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Knowledge development
crop protection
rejected
to be adapted
ready to use
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In the heart of knowledge development

• Uses the newest knowledge
• From government sponsored research programmes on
  crop protection
• Links this with
• The practical experience and innovative powers of
  farmers
• Develops and tests
• Together with famers practicable effective and
  feasible methods for more sustainable farming
  systems
• Disseminates new knowledge via the network of
  advisory, agri-business et.
• Gives feedback to research and policy (agenda)

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Major objectives

• New relevant knowledge
• Realising impact
• Increasing the use of these new methods in
  agricultural practices
• Knowledge dissemination together with, traders,
  suplliers, advisory organisations etc, all
  relevant stakeholders
• Working on solutions for specific problemes,
  often water qualirty issues
• Stimulating stakeholders to take more
  responsibilty for sustainabilty in their actions

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Knowledge dissemination / circulation

• Only !! together with stakeholders, in their
  events and media
• Focus on consistent message from all stakeholders
• Large amount of varying forms of communication
• demonstrations, articles, open days, workshops,
  excursions, newsletters, flyers, lectures,
  presentations etc.
• Reaching large groups of farmers

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Solutions for specific problems Focus on water
quality alliance with water boards
Example Pollution of surface water with
herbicides from maize production in Southeast
Netherlands Coalition of pesticide producers
Syngenta and BASF, suppliers, contractors, water
board and farmer union
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Results of the project (2004-2007)

• 70 best practices ready for practice
• that are effective and feasible
• described in leaflets and broadly disseminated
• Reaching 1000s of farmers by
• Yearly some 100 activities organised together
  with stakeholders to disseminate sustainable
  (best) practices
• More stakholders involved in the knowledge
  dissemination
• New coalitions of stakeholders for sustainable
  agriculture in varying composition

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However

• Existing routines are hard to change,
• They got the power of reality
• Changing behaviour of farmers and stakeholders is
  difficult and takes time.
• From inform to advice!!!

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Lessons learned success factors

• Excellent technology
• Increasingly hard to find
• Innovations needed, new principles, new
  approaches
• Substantial contribution
• New, more sustainable approaches should be
  profitable.
• Requires vision, policy, money, courage and
  support
• Road tested technology
• Tested with farmers and stakeholders
• Feasible and effective
• Basis for dissemination
• Requires participatory approaches, networks,
  advisory services, research, farmers

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Lessons learned success factors

• Involve agricultural community stakeholders
• Social contract agreement start
• Responsability first steps
• Link interests whats at stake for SH with the
  sustainabilty issue
• Increasing interest in sustainability, higher on
  ladder of interests
• From the freedom the choose to the responsibilty
  to choose
• Requires continuous stakeholdermanagement
• Support these developments by an organisation
  project
• Independent,
• Flexible
• Highly knowledgeble, expertise
• Skill in process and content

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statement

• Never underestimate the possibilities of the
  stakeholders
• They are the professionals in the agricultural
  business
• They cause! the current situation hostage
  situation
• When they take sustainability serious anything
  can happen
• We must make it their business
• As one of my board members stated
• Everyone must want to do what they can do
• The stakeholders have the key to sustainabilty
• But only in cooperation

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Incentives

• Economically
• New technology makes you money!!
• Government EU support, public concerns, support
  methods and techniques ICP ladder
• Market- demands certification
• Ethical ecological environmental
• Responsibel behaviour ssustainablity
• Make it the norm
• Legal
• Pesticide registration
• Additional rules (buffer strips, control
  machinery etc)