On the 29th of February, the 2nd workshop of the European project SPRINT took place at CESAM – University of Aveiro, dedicated to the Transition to a more sustainable phytosanitary protection. The project, nationally coordinated by a team from CESAM-UA, aims to propose pathways for transitioning to a more sustainable plant protection, provide policy recommendations, and develop a research agenda on sustainable plant protection. With the participation of 25 stakeholders representing various sectors of the agricultural production chain, including producers, governance, agrochemical manufacturers, seed producers, researchers, farmer associations, and cooperatives, the workshop aimed to identify approaches and strategies to reduce reliance on synthetic pesticides.
The focus of the discussions was directed towards two main visions: reducing the use of synthetic pesticides by 50%, in line with the goals of the Green Deal, and the total elimination of their use. In a participatory environment, the discussions were extremely productive, identifying the pathway and generating solutions to achieve a more sustainable agriculture with reduced dependence on synthetic pesticides.
