November 3, 2009
ENDURE members face the challenge of translating “very significant advances” into “visible and lasting achievements” over the coming months, coordinator Pierre Ricci told delegates at the Network of Excellence’s Annual Meeting held recently in the Netherlands.
In his written introduction to the event, Dr Ricci highlighted some of the advances made over the past two and a half years, including the completion of case studies on potato, wheat, maize, tomato, pome fruit and integrated weed management, defining a dynamic vision of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), the launch of system case studies and the creation of new research tools within the Virtual Laboratory.
In addition, ENDURE is assisting policy makers in defining the guidelines for implementing the Framework Directive on the sustainable use of pesticides and focusing on advisers as the key actors for implementing IPM in the field.
But, he stressed, there is no room for complacency, and the emphasis for the remaining period of European Commission funding, which runs until December 2010, will be on translating this work into “visible and lasting achievements”, including scientific publications, dissemination towards extension services and advisers, and the organisation of a second large international event (due to be held in Paris in late 2010).
The Annual Meeting, held over three and a half days at Wageningen University and Research Centre’s impressive Forum, gave ENDURE members the opportunity to participate in workshops and plenary sessions, in addition to meetings of the External Advisory Board and Executive Committee.
The workshops and plenary sessions were also open to the industry, represented by groups such as the European Crop Protection Association, breeding specialist Limagrain and the Africa Rice Center, and a range of non-governmental organisations such as the Pesticide Action Network and the European Consumers’ Organisation, enabling ENDURE to interact with as wide a range of stakeholders as possible.
The Annual Meeting also provided the opportunity for representatives of research organisations outside ENDURE to meet with Network participants and discover how they can best collaborate on research activities linked to IPM. Thus, ENDURE welcomed visitors from Argentina, China and Morocco, and representatives of research groups based in central and eastern Africa.
To close the event, Emilie Latxague and Marco Barzman (pictured left) treated visitors to insights from ENDURE’s Foresight Study, which examines various scenarios for European crop protection heading towards the year 2030.
Five scenarios have been characterised: reliance on greener chemicals associated with user accountability, specialised and knowledge-intensive crop protection based on appropriate technology, integration of multiple measures and ecosystemic regulation to stabilise production, energy efficiency, and community-negotiated approaches. (Two of these are a response to a globalised free market, two are a response to global challenges and the last concentrates on local community development). Through these scenarios it becomes possible to identify challenges for agricultural research and, indeed, challenges for policy makers.
To find out more about the Foresight Study, download the leaflet in English or in French:
