EU-China international cooperation on integrated pest management in agriculture

A high percentage of food crops is lost to plant pests and diseases annually. At the same time, concerns are mounting over the impact of pesticides used in agriculture on the environment, non-target organisms and human health. Proposals should support the development and implementation of integrated pest management practices for crops where the dependency on conventional chemical pesticides is the highest, and where the exchange of information, best practices and technologies is of benefit to the EU, Associated Countries and China.

Proposals should:

• enlarge the range of tools available for integrated pest management practices, such as crop diversification leading to more functional diversity, effective cropping techniques, appropriate species and varieties resistant to pests, the development of biological control agents, the preservation and enhancement of natural enemies of pests etc.;
• develop technologies enabling the prevention, modelling and monitoring of pest emergence allowing timely and appropriate intervention in line with the principles of integrated pest management;
• develop risk assessment methods for assessing the risks and environmental impacts of these technologies;
• support capacity building, training and education enabling farmers/growers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices in pest management and the establishment of a reward/incentives system.

Proposals must implement the 'multi-actor approach’ and ensure adequate involvement of the farming sector. Practical solutions for farmers/growers, close to the market, should be facilitated by the involvement of industry, including SMEs, to promote the transfer of technology relating to integrated pest management.

Actions will contribute to implementing the EU-China Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology (FAB) flagship initiative, which aims to ensure sustainability of agri-food systems, catering for the needs of a growing population, the reduction of food and agricultural losses and waste, and the provision of safe and healthy foodstuffs.

Due to the scope of this topic, international cooperation is strongly encouraged, in particular with China. This topic is envisaged to be implemented as a coordinated call but if no agreement is reached with the Ministry of Science and Technology China (MOST) on the co-funding of Chinese partners, it will be implemented as a normal call. Updates will be published on the Funding & Tenders Portal.