ENDURE NETWORK

Importantly, such a diversity of solutions is also needed for sustainability purposes: the continuous use of a single method to control a given pest, be it the most favourable solution initially, will rapidly induce pest populations to evolve and overcome this method, whether a chemical one or not.

ENDURE sees IPM as a continuously improving process in which innovative solutions are integrated and locally adapted as they emerge and contribute to reducing reliance on pesticides in agricultural systems. To face the rapid decrease in chemical options, very significant efforts are urgently needed to increase the range of effective and affordable solutions. This requires a coordinated plan to:

• Encourage public and private research on new crop protection technologies and facilitate the regulatory conditions for their availability on the market.

• Support multidisciplinary research on whole systems - an emerging field - as a way to design truly innovative IPM strategies.

• Develop information, education and recognition of these integrated strategies for the benefit of farmers, advisers and other actors in the food chain, including the general public.

• Maintain a momentum at the European level to create synergies from national efforts.