Coordinator: CY.R.I.C CYPRUS RESEARCH AND INNOVATION CENTER LTD
Scientific Officer: Giovanni Dinelli
Duration: 01/05/2023 - 30/04/2027
Research group: Giovanni Dinelli, Matteo Vittuari, Sara Bosi, Ilaria Marotti, Valentina Guerrieri, Anna Niero, Simone Amadori
There is an urgent need to move towards sustainable weed management strategies. Agroecology offers a unique ap-proach & seeks to transform food & agriculture systems, providing long-term solutions.
Challenge #1: Agroecological practices are already applied to different degrees. However, wide adoption of agroeco-logical weed management has lagged behind our understanding of its benefits and way to optimally apply it in differ-ent cases.
Ch. #2: Even with simple agroecological practices, uptake by farmers has been limited. Impediments to employing such practices include inadequate policy instruments, a lack of market mechanisms, and a paucity of social infrastruc-ture with which to influence learning & decision-making by farmers.
Ch. #3: Weeds are expected to become more difficult to reliably control with herbicides under increasing CO2 and cli-mate change (CC). Nevertheless, practical implications of climate change for the many non-chemical tactics integral to agroecological weeding have not been thoroughly addressed yet.
CONSERWA will address the aforementioned challenges by: a) compiling a portfolio of agroecological farming prac-tices, studying their optimal combinations & transferability, including suitability under CC scenarios, b) supporting the implementation of these combinations and the measurement of their performance & impacts using novel tools, c) supporting knowledge management & communication between stakeholders with the ultimate goal of practical deci-sion-making and impact assessment through an open DSS, d) studying factors influencing farmers’ decision-making in applying agroecological farming, working together with the value chain, such as the food processors & consultancy services.
The study will be facilitated by case studies covering all European biogeographical/pedo-climatic regions and involving a wide range of crops & farming systems. CONSERWA focuses also on training of farmers, as well as on policy making (through policy recommendations).