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Modelling policy restrictions on fertilizer and pesticide use in EU agriculture with CAPRI (FertiPest)

Funding

European Commission DG Environment

Duration

11/2019 - 3/2022

Organisation

  • EuroCARE GmbH
  • Julius Kühn Institute

Leadparty

  • Eurocare
  • Research context

    Social and policy initiatives exist in many countries for reducing fertilizer and pesticide use in agriculture. Such initiatives intend to fight against the negative consequences of large-scale pesticide use on human health, the environment and society. Measures like the ban of certain substances with high risk the promotion of pesticide-free agricultural practices are mostly motivated by the potential health and environmental benefits such as reduced health risks linked to linked to certain active substances from reduced pesticide residues in food products or reduced nitrogen losses to water through surface runoffs and leaching from the soil. Fertilizer- and pesticide-restriciton policies might also have negative impacts. For example restricitons on herbicide use can lead to more ploghing for weed control and so so to incrased greenhouse gas emissions from cropping activities. Therefore, the analysis of the environmental, economic and health benefits and risks of such restrictions is a complex task that requires careful considerations of the behavioral repsonses of farmers and consumers, and also the indirect/ secondary effects from the agricultural markets.

    Aim and objective

    The overall objective is to improve the capabilities of CAPRI for the impact assessment of policies aiming at the reduction of mineral fertilizers and pesticides in the EU farming sector.

    Regarding the fertilizer use restrictions in the EU the specific objectives are:

    • Develop a methodological approach of the CAPRI model which combines the functionality of the existing fertilizer restrictions and the achievements of the new fertilizer module. The data needs and the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed approach should be identified. Potential data sources for the parametrization of the modelling approach should be identified and evaluated, including a strategy of their use in CAPRI.
    • Technical implementation of the selected approach for modelling policies on fertilizer restrictions in EU agriculture in CAPRI.

    Regarding the pesticide use restrictions in the EU the specific objectives are

    • Develop a methodological approach for modelling policies on pesticide use restrictions in EU agriculture. The methodological approach should extend the already implemented modelling approaches in CAPRI. Potential data sources for the parametrization of the modelling approach should be identified and evaluated, including a strategy of their us ein CAPRI.
    • Technical implementation of the selected approach for modelling policies on pesticide restrictions in EU agriculture in CAPRI.

    Main tasks

    • Taks 1: Methodological approach and technical implementation plan for modelling fertilizer restriction policies in the EU
    • Taks 2: Methodological approach and technical implementation plan for modelling pesticide restriction policies in the EU
    • Taks 3: Methodological approach for modelling fertilizer and pesticide restriction policies in countries outside the EU
    • Taks 4: Code implementation
    • Taks 5: Testing and merge to CAPRI trunk