The use of synthetic pesticides in agriculture increased food production but at significant environmental, natural resource, and human health cost.Farmers hesitate to adopt non-chemical weed control due to perceived complexity, cost, and time.Despite EU initiatives, innovative methods remain poorly disseminated and research findings underutilised.Promoting non-chemical weed control requires consolidating the EIP-AGRI landscape. To address these challenges, Oper8 is promoting innovative, non-chemical weed control methods and increasing the flow of information in the EU, drawing upon concrete demonstration events and tangible results from participating and future OGs. Its main objective is to establish a self-sustainable, multi-actor, EU-wide Thematic Network supporting and promoting solutions for non-chemical weed control, building upon knowledge and outcomes of eight OGs and stimulating knowledge exchange among all relevant actors and stakeholders.
Objective1: Establish the Oper8 Thematic Network and setup NNs to create a self-sustaining European Thematic network centered around 8 OGs to speed up knowledge sharing, and to expand them into NNs within the AKIS ecosystem, fostering collaboration and boosting impact and efficiency.
Objective2: Identify grassroot needs and barriers using a bottom-up approach capturing practitioner needs, enabling identification of needs, gaps,and barriers for broad adoption of solutions. Based on these,NAPs were developed.
Objective3: Create an Inventory of Solutions based on OG outcomes, scientific research, project results, and commercial findings. The Oper8 Inventory was developed through co-creation and cross-fertilisation in national and European workshops. A CBA and readiness and acceptability assessments of selected NAPs were conducted, and Best Practices were selected.
Objective4: Scale up and cross-fertilise knowledge on non-chemical weed control by expanding local and transnational exchanges, and mainstreaming scientific and practical insights. OG results were enhanced through translated/localised Practice Abstracts, Fact Sheets, videos and e-learning materials. Synergies were built across stakeholders, projects and networks, and policy recommendations were presented in a Parliamentary session.
Objective5: Communicate, Disseminate and Demonstrate Best Practices through the Oper8 C&DPlan. Best Practices, cross-border activities, and Demo Farm visits were demonstrated, while PAs and FSs were disseminated in EIP-AGRI format, and videos were developed for education and vocational training.
