The event is being organised by the French Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) as part of the official French EU Presidency programme, with co-organisation from France’s National Research Programme Growing and Protecting Crops Differently (Cultiver et Protéger Autrement) and the European Research Alliance ‘Towards a Chemical Pesticide-Free agriculture’.

The organisers note that the European Green Deal has set new targets and defined a roadmap with multiple strategies, including Farm to Fork and Biodiversity 2030. This includes ambitious targets for agriculture and food production, in particular the goal of reducing by 50% the use and risk of chemical pesticides, as well as the use of more hazardous pesticides, by 2030.

“This ambitious objective will require an in-depth change with new approaches based on prophylaxis, agroecology and the commitments of the sectors, but also major breakthroughs in the conception of new agricultural systems where crop protection does not rely only on the application of chemical pesticides,” the organisers note. “French and European research is clearly in line with this ambition with major paradigm shifts and disruptive research strategies, which should lead to such breakthrough innovations.”

The two-day event will combine plenary and parallel sessions with the presentation of scientific work by researchers from different European countries, discussions between researchers and professionals, field and infrastructure visits and a science-society meeting. English will be the speaking language.

Four scientific fields will be covered during the plenary and parallel sessions:

• Bio-inspired management of crop health
• Genetics and breeding of new cultivars for new services
• Cropping systems and agrotechnology
• Agri-food system transformation and societal adoption

The organisers are inviting to send proposals for 15-minute oral communications in the above fields. They say that papers should present original research results that can contribute to the transition to pesticide-free agriculture or to a strong reduction in pesticide-dependence in cropping systems. The deadline for proposals of February 1 2022.

For more information:

• Download save the date:
  PFUE-INRAE-SAVE THE DATE_EN [pdf - 162.51 kB]
• Download the call for papers:
  PFUE-Call for papers_vf [pdf - 169.20 kB]