SafeWax: A Bio-Inspired Multifunctional Coating for Sustainable Crop Protection.

Agriculture in the 21st century faces complex global challenges, including rising food demand, resource depletion, and climate change. These pressures, however, also create opportunities to foster sustainability, enhance resource efficiency, and reduce reliance on synthetic pesticides. In response, the European Union (EU) adopted the European Green Deal in 2019, aiming for climate neutrality by 2050. The Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy sets a specific target: reducing chemical pesticide usage and its related risks by half by 2030. This study aims to assess the overall situation in the EU and the Member States' contributions to achieving the F2F objective of reducing pesticide use as well as risks at the policy level. A novel methodological approach was developed to assess Member State performance using a set of EU-defined indicators – such as Harmonised Risk Indicators (HRI 1 and HRI 2), pesticide sales data from Eurostat and FAOSTAT – and to classify countries into contribution-based groups. Findings reveal progress at the EU level: pesticide sales have declined and HRI 1 has dropped, but HRI 2 has increased. Significant variation among Member States was observed, highlighting the need for tailored policy actions. The study provides an innovative framework and practical insights for policymakers and stakeholders working toward sustainable agricultural transitions in the EU.

The European Green Deal is an ambitious plan to build a sustainable economy for the European Union (EU). An integral part of this plan is the ”from field to table” strategy for a fair, healthy, environmentally friendly food system. Among other things, it calls for EU countries to reduce pesticide use by 50% by 2030. The national reduction target for the use of pesticides must not be less than 35%, and such has been adopted for Poland. Due to the systematic withdrawal of active substances contained in pesticides, the market of plant protection products requires constant monitoring and coordination. The conducted research shows the reduction of agricultural chemization as a process that requires a thoughtful and controlled selection of preparations used in the care of starch potato plantations. Applying available preparations in place of those that have been withdrawn from the market makes it possible to achieve the reducion target and production results at a similar level.

Pesticide use has contributed to the impressive productivity growth in U.S. agriculture; however, it has caused increasing concerns about associated health and environmental risks. Consequently, statutory changes and new initiatives have been proposed by the Clinton Administration and the Congress in order to minimize risks through reduction in pesticide use (Kuchler et al.). Similarly, many European countries have implemented programs and set national goals to reduce fertilizer and pesticide use (Szmedra). Several approaches could be considered to reduce pesticide use. Regulations have been enacted to ban or restrict the use of certain pesticides.' Quantity restrictions can reduce pesticide use, but their implementation may encounter severe enforcement difficulty. Government programs can be changed to remove economic incentives that increase pesticide use, an approach being adopted in Europe (Szmedra). Under the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990, farmers have the flexibility to plant up to 25 percent of their base acreage to other program or specified crops without losing their future base acreage. This cropping flexibility can potentially reduce pesticide use, especially when corn base acres are planted with less chemical-intensive crops, such as soybeans. Taxes (subsidy) can be levied (provided) to internalize the external cost associated with pesticide use, and hence reduce pesticide use.2 Alternatively, the government can subsidize farmers to adopt less pesticide-intensive production practices. For example, Special Project 53 under the Agricultural Conservation Program (administered by the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture) provides cost sharing for adopting integrated crop management practices that are intended to reduce farm chemical use (Osborn et al.). A better understanding of the factors influencing pesticide use is essential in examining various options for reducing pesticide use. An array of pest management methods are practiced by farmers, resulting in a diverse pattern of pesticide use. What production practices currently in use can effectively reduce pesticide use? Do farmers enrolled in commodity programs use more chemicals than other farmers? What are the demand elasticities with Biing-Hwan Lin, Harold Taylor, Herman Delvo, and Len Bull are Agricultural Economists with the United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. The insightful comments of anonymous reviewers and the editor substantially improved the quality and content of the paper. The views expressed are the authors and do not necessarily represent policies or views of the United States Department of Agriculture or the Economic Research Service.

Soil invertebrate communities represent a significant fraction of global biodiversity and play crucial roles in ecosystems. A number of human activities threaten soil communities, in particular intensive agricultural practices such as pesticide use. However, there is currently no quantitative synthesis of the impacts of pesticides on soil fauna communities. Here, using a meta‐analysis of 54 studies and 294 observations, we quantify pesticide effects on the abundance, biomass, richness and diversity of natural soil fauna communities across a wide range of environmental contexts. We also identify scenarios with the most detrimental effects on soil fauna communities by analysing the effects of different pesticides (herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, broad‐spectrum substances and multiple substances), different application rates and temporal extents (short‐ or long‐term), as well as the response of different functional groups of soil animals (body size categories, presence of exoskeleton). Pesticides overall decreased the abundance and diversity of soil fauna communities across studies (Grand mean effect size (Hedge's g) = −0.30 +/− 0.16) and had stronger effects on soil fauna diversity than abundance. The most detrimental scenarios involved multiple substances, broad‐spectrum substances and insecticides, which significantly decreased soil fauna diversity even at recommended rates. We found no evidence that pesticide effects dampen over time, as short‐term and long‐term studies exhibited similar mean effect sizes. Policy implications: Our study highlights that pesticide use has significant detrimental non‐target effects on soil biodiversity, eroding a substantial part of global biodiversity and threatening ecosystem health. This provides crucial evidence supporting recent policies, such as the European Green Deal, that aim to reduce pesticide use in agriculture to conserve biodiversity. The detrimental effects of multiple substances revealed here are particularly concerning because realistic pesticide use often combines several substances targeting different pests and diseases over the crop season. We suggest that future guidelines for pesticide registration, restrictions and banning should rely on data able to fully capture the long‐term consequences of multiple substances for multiple non‐target species in realistic conditions.

There is a growing concern in society about the continuing intensive usage of pesticides in farming and its effects on environmental and human health. Insight in the intentions of farmers to reduce pesticide use may help identify pathways towards farming systems with reduced environmental impacts. We used the Reasoned Action Approach to identify which social-psychological constructs determine farmers' intentions to decrease pesticide use. We analysed 681 responses to an online survey to assess which constructs drive intention, and identified which beliefs pose barriers and drive the motivation of farmers to decrease pesticide use. Our results show that the intention to reduce pesticide use is strongly determined by whether other farmers also act. Furthermore, farmers perceive limited capacity and autonomy to reduce pesticide use, and motivations to reduce pesticide use were based on environmental considerations. Finally, decreasing pesticide use was considered risky, but the relative importance of risk attitude was offset by the environmental considerations of farmers. This indicates that farmers need successful examples of how to decrease pesticide use, either via exchange with peer farmers or knowledge provisioning on alternative pest control methods. These insights may be useful to direct policy making to influence farmers' intentions to decrease pesticide use.

Pesticide overuse has resulted in serious ecological problems. Agricultural extension services play a key role in influencing farmers’ pesticide use. China has the world's largest public agricultural extension system, which has experienced a twisting path of reforms over the past four decades. However, there is little empirical evidence regarding the effects of agricultural extension services in the post-reform era since the mid-2000s. This study examines the effect of agricultural extension services in the post-reform era on pesticide use in China, using survey data of 1963 rice farmers in 2016 and 2018. Our results indicate that only 22.5% of surveyed farmers adopted agricultural extension services. After addressing the self-selectivity issue, the treatment effects model revealed that agricultural extension services in the post-reform era resulted in a 3.01 kg/ha reduction in total pesticide use, a 0.86 kg/ha reduction in application rate of active ingredients, and a 250 CNY/ha reduction in pesticide expenditure related to rice production. Our findings provide sound evidence that agricultural extension services in the post-reform era can result in a reduction in pesticide use for rice production. More effective efforts should be made to reinforce the provision of agricultural extension services and encourage farmers to adopt these services.

We analyzed the changes in pesticide use and risk in the Province of Ontario, Canada, from 1973 to 1998 to monitor the success of Food Systems 2002, a program to reduce pesticide use by 50%. Pesticide risk was calculated by multiplying the amount of pesticide used (kilograms of active ingredient) by the Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ), a score for the potential risk of pesticides to farmworkers, consumers, and the environment. Pesticide use increased by 46% from 1973 to 1983. From 1983, the baseline year for Food Systems 2002, to 1998, pesticide use decreased by 38.5% and risk declined 39.5%. The reductions in pesticide use and risk were primarily on corn (Zea mays L.) and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.), the crops with the highest pesticide use in 1983. Total pesticide use on soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] did not change, but the mean application rate (kg ha(-1)) decreased by 57%. Corn and soybean account for 65% of pesticide use, but have a relatively low pesticide use and risk per hectare and per tonne of production. Total pesticide use on tobacco, fruits, and vegetables was lower than on corn or soybean, but the pesticide use and risk per hectare were much higher. Small reductions in pesticide use on corn and soybean may allow a 50% reduction in pesticide use, but greater reductions in risk can be achieved by reducing the use of "high risk" pesticides on fruit and vegetables.

Contributors. Preface. Introduction: 1. New directions for pesticide use H. Lehman. I: Social and environmental effects of pesticides: 2. The impact of pesticides on the environment C.A. Edwards. 3. Assessment of environmental and economic impacts of pesticide use D. Pimentel, H. Acquay, M. Biltonen, P. Rice, M. Silva, J. Nelson, V. Lipner, S. Giordano, A. Horowitz, M. D'Amore. 4. The relationship between 'cosmetic standards' for foods and pesticide use D. Pimentel, C. Kirby, A. Shroff. 5. Risk of pesticide-related health effects: an epidemiologic approach S. Schuman. 6. Pesticides and natural toxicants in foods T. Culliney, D. Pimentel, M.H. Pimentel. II: Methods and effects of reducing pesticide use: 7. Socioeconomic impacts and social implications of reducing pesticide and agricultural chemical use in the United States F.H. Buttel. 8. Swedish pesticide policy in a changing environment O. Pettersson. 9. Reducing pesticide use by 50% in the province of Ontario: Challenges and progress G.A. Surgeoner, W. Roberts. 10. Environmental and economic impacts of reducing U.S. agricultural pesticide use D. Pimentel, L. McLaughlin, A. Zepp, B. Lakitan, T. Kraus, P. Kleinman, F. Vancini, W.J. Roach, E. Graap, W.S. Keeton, G. Selig. III: Government policy and pesticide use: 11. Government policies that encourage pesticide use in the United States K.A. Dahlberg. 12. Pesticide use trends and issues in the United States C. Osteen. 13. Alar: the EPA's mismanagement of an agricultural chemical J.S. Hathaway. IV: History, public attitudes and ethics in regard to pesticide use: 14. Values, ethics and the use of synthetic pesticides in agriculture H. Lehman. 15. Growing public concern for pesticides in food and water C.E. Sachs. 16. Pesticides: historical changes demand ethical choices J. Perkins, N. Holochuck. V: The benefits and risks of pesticides: two views: 17. Seeking a balanced perspective N.L. Reding. 18. An increasing public concern R.L. Metcalf. Index.

As a result of government policy and consumers' attitudes to environmentally compatible growing systems, research is focused on reduction of pesticide input into the environment. This aim is approached in different ways.With so‐called “closed growing systems”, soil fumigants are no longer needed, resulting in an estimated 60% reduction in the total use of pesticides. Further, far smaller quantities of (systemic) pesticides need to be added to plants, via the nutrient solution, than with soil‐grown crops. Water disinfestation is essential to minimize the spread of diseases and heat treatment and ozonization are already used under commercial conditions. Filtration appears to be neither reliable nor practical. Other disinfestation methods are under investigation.Ventilators may be provided with insect‐proof screens to minimize infection pressure, especially on young plant material. Air filters in combination with mechanical ventilation may be an option for the future to raise healthy plants.A further reduction in the use of pesticides can be achieved by developing biological and integrated control of insects and fungi. Simultaneous application of several biocontrol methods in the fruit vegetable area has increased the complexity of IPM. Open rearing systems of parasitoids on alternative hosts to control cotton aphids and leaf miners are promising. IPM is highly dependent on the availability of selective chemicals.Biological control of root‐infecting fungi in substrate crops shows promise. Integrated control of powdery mildew in cucumbers using a combination of nutritional and climatic management and varieties showing partial resistance will be studied.Improvement of application techniques for pesticides is being studied by plant pathologists in cooperation with technical experts. The aim is to reduce pesticide application rates, to minimize losses to the environment and to avoid health risks for the worker.By developing decision‐support systems for crop protection, optimal use of beneficial insects is achieved and unnecessary applications of chemicals are avoided. A programme to develop such a system for the sweet pepper crop is under way.

Recent European incentive policies clearly targeted decreasing pesticide use in all agricultural systems as a key option to reduce environmental hazards and health risks. To reduce pesticide use is challenging in orchards where pesticides are recurrently applied to control numerous pests and diseases, but crucial to improve fruit production sustainability. Agricultural research has provided alternatives to chemical control for the management of a single pest or disease, but has very seldom addressed the design of overall sustainable strategies aiming at reducing pesticide use. New insights permitted by system approaches are now developing. Here, we report the level of pesticide use and the agri-environmental performances of three protection systems of apple orchards surveyed from 2005 to 2008: (1) conventional, (2) low-input and (3) organic farming. To assess the significance of the cultivar in decreasing pesticide use, these protection systems were combined with three cultivars differing in scab susceptibility: ‘Ariane’ (Vf-resistant), ‘Melrose’ (low-susceptibility) and ‘Golden Delicious’ (susceptible). Thus, nine ‘management × cultivar’ apple orchard systems were assessed. The level of pesticide use was the highest in conventional ‘Golden Delicious’ and in ‘Golden Delicious’ plots whatever the protection system. A 43–56% decrease in pesticide use was observed in ‘Ariane’ and ‘Melrose’ in both low-input and organic farming protection systems compared to conventional ‘Golden Delicious’ as reference. Only low-input ‘Melrose’ and low-input ‘Ariane’ systems achieved a level of yield and fruit damages similar to the corresponding conventional cultivars under reduced pesticide use, also permitting reduced environmental impacts. But even the low-input ‘Melrose’ least pesticide-dependant system was far from being pesticide-free, suggesting that current straight-designed mono-clone orchards are hardly appropriate to drastically reduce pesticide use and that the range of commercial apple cultivars should be renewed to offer more robust cultivars.

We issue a call to action: in the context of safe design, all pesticides must be traceable via low-cost methods that are accessible for routine environmental monitoring by public institutions. Insights into the far-reaching impacts of pesticides depend on our ability to detect these chemicals in the environment. Once a pesticide is authorized for use, environmental monitoring serves as a critical warning system that complements risk assessments. Postregistration monitoring is recognized by different policy frameworks like e.g. the Water Framework Directive and the European Green Deal. However, we highlight an urgent concern: despite formal requirements for detectability in registration, novel pesticides are becoming progressively undetectable in practice. We demonstrate how mandated reductions in pesticide use measured as volume can drive chemical innovations that unintentionally undermine environmental accountability and safety. For example, volume can be decreased while maintaining effectiveness by increasing the specificity or toxicity of the pesticide. This phenomenon is analogous to 'analytical homeopathy,' where active ingredients remain effective even at extremely low dosages, rendering them undetectable by standard analytical chemistry. This issues a significant challenge: higher toxicity can imply lower environmental quality standards near detection limits. This leads to the troubling problem of "known unknowns": risks posed by active ingredients whose emissions remain unquantified under current field monitoring conditions. In response to this emerging threat, we propose a foundational principle: all synthetic pesticides should be detectable in the environment at the concentration of their active ingredients, enabling cost-effective and reliable monitoring. If neglected then the credibility and function of monitoring as a warning system for unintended biodiversity harm is increasingly undermined, regardless of formal analytical capabilities.

Width of vegetated buffer strips to protect aquatic life from pesticide effects

Understanding interactions and relationships in pest management innovation processes in Bangladesh

Farmer Field Schools for Improving Farming Practices and Farmer Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Intensive and worldwide usage of conventional pesticides on arable land has led to varying problems for the environment and human health. Consequently, many governments and several private actors actively stimulate reduction of pesticide use. This paper focuses on the effectiveness of public and private policy instruments in terms of reducing pesticide use by farmers via a systematic literature review of 78 articles published between 1967 and 2017. The geographical focus area was Europe. The review determined that no specific instrument is guaranteed to reduce pesticide use. Instead, characteristics comprising an instrument were confirmed to be beneficial to reducing pesticide use. In particular, mixes of instruments, with varying degrees of authoritative force, applied at multiple scales with stakeholder collaboration were identified as beneficial to reducing farmer pesticide use. It is implied within the literature that instruments comprised of such characteristics aid reducing pesticide use due to facilitating consideration of heterogeneous farm and farmer characteristics.