Pesticide-free but not organic: Adoption of a large-scale wheat production standard in Switzerland

Niklas Möhring,Robert Finger

doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2021.102188

Abstract

The sustainable intensification of agriculture requires solutions for a large-scale reduction of pesticide use while sustaining agricultural yields. Pesticide-free production standards, which bring together the strengths of all the food value chain actors, could be a cornerstone of this transformation. In Switzerland, a non-organic, private–public standard for pesticide-free wheat production is currently being introduced by the producer organization IP-SUISSE. It is the first of its kind in Europe and may reach a market share of 50% of Swiss wheat production. We here assess the determinants of farmers' participation and willingness to participate in the future. For our analysis, we combine a survey of the entire population of IP-SUISSE wheat producers (4749 farmers, 23.3% response rate) with data on historical farm-level wheat yields, soil properties, weather, climate, weed pressure, and spread of herbicide resistance. Our results indicate that a large-scale establishment of pesticide-free wheat production in Switzerland is possible. We find that farmers' perceptions of positive environmental effects of the production program are key for adoption. Moreover, farmers' expectations of the program’s production effects play a central role. Farmers perceiving large yield losses and increases in production risks are less likely to enter the program. Based on our results, we discuss implications, leverage points, and challenges for designing and implementing large-scale pesticide-free production programs.

Highlights

Agriculture faces the challenge of increasing agricultural production while reducing adverse environmental and health impacts (Godfray et al, 2010; Pretty, 2018)
We find that less flexible producers, who are already engaged in soil con servation programs or cantonal programs for pesticide use reduction, are less likely to adopt pesticide-free wheat production
Pesticide-free production standards could be an important cornerstone for sustainable intensification of agricul ture, complementing organic farming systems

Summary

Introduction

Agriculture faces the challenge of increasing agricultural production while reducing adverse environmental and health impacts (Godfray et al, 2010; Pretty, 2018). Crop rotations, which are partly pesticide-free, could play a vital role in the future of agriculture Establishing such production systems requires the combined efforts of all actors of the food-value chain (Mohring et al, 2020b). The producer organization IP-SUISSE is currently introducing a nonorganic, pesticide-free wheat production standard in Switzerland – the first large-scale production program of its kind in Europe. Starting from 1992/93,1 IP-SUISSE members have started to produce wheat under the so-called “Extenso” program In this program, participants are neither allowed to use insecticides, fungicides, nor growth regulators in wheat production. Participants are neither allowed to use insecticides, fungicides, nor growth regulators in wheat production They further face some additional restrictions, including a restriction to growing stubble wheat (“wheat-after-wheat” rotations) and complying with some general on-farm sustainability criteria (Bocker et al, 2019). The novel “pesticide-free wheat” production program goes even further by restricting farmers from using conventional pesticides in wheat production

Results

Discussion

Conclusion