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The Benefits of Sustainable Agriculture

The Benefits of Sustainable Agriculture. Wyn Grant University of Warwick. Working with life scientists. Competing or complementary?. We want food security – affordable, nutritious food in sufficient quantities without interruption of supply.

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The Benefits of Sustainable Agriculture

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  1. The Benefits of Sustainable Agriculture Wyn Grant University of Warwick

  2. Working with life scientists

  3. Competing or complementary? • We want food security – affordable, nutritious food in sufficient quantities without interruption of supply. • But we want it to be produced in a way that does not have harmful side effects on human health and the environment – sustainable crop production

  4. Retaining trust • The reputation of an industry or firm can easily be damaged, incurring losses of business and substantial financial costs • Any suspicion that food is not being produced in a way compatible with a healthy lifestyle quickly attracts media attention • Food is a product unlike others, e.g., cultural significance

  5. The EU response • The EU has endeavoured to respond to the concerns of its citizens • Thematic Strategy on Integrated Pest Management and Sustainable Use Directive (2009/128/EC) • Basic principles of prevention, monitoring and suppression

  6. Principles of IPM • Prevention: agronomy (e.g., crop rotation), selection of varieties, conservation biocontrol • Monitoring: good warning and early diagnosis systems • Suppression: biological and other non-chemical methods must be preferred to chemical methods if they provide satisfactory control

  7. Biocontrol • Still only 2-3 per cent of global market • But growing rapidly, 12-15 per cent a year compared with 3-5 per cent for synthetics • Forecast to be worth $6bn worldwide by 2019 • Highest growth in Europe, expected to pass North America by 2018 • Big companies move in

  8. Some challenges • Registration of products still taking too long – about 5 years in EU • 5 low risk substances approved • New zonal system in EU (Reg. 1007/2009) not really working • Is more knowledge intensive, requires great input by farmers • Absence of advisory services

  9. Some challenges (2) • Involves managing and working with complexity, products affected by environmental conditions • Good links between industry and academia – even social scientists! • But reliant on back catalogue, cutbacks in basic research could lead to a dip in innovation

  10. The elephant in the room • The CAP • Is it sufficiently targeted on good agronomic practice to back up sustainability programmes like IPM? • Too much still goes in blanket subsidies, ‘greening’ of last reform unsatisfactory • Early abandonment of third pillar on climate change

  11. Thanks for your attention • Visit our website: • http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/research/clusters/cpd/biopesticides

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