Tackling pesticide resistance: early detection, management strategies, and foresight

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• a holistic and science-based approach to tackling pesticide resistance is developed, providing actionable recommendations to improve crop protection strategies and support evidence-based decision-making at all levels;
• farmers, advisors, and practitioners are empowered with knowledge, tools, and integrated strategies—including innovative environmentally friendly and sustainable alternatives that promote agrobiodiversity—supported by data-driven approaches and robust monitoring systems;
• foresight capacities are enhanced, enabling the anticipation of resistance trends and supporting long-term planning to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of agricultural systems.

Scope:

Agriculture and forestry face a growing challenge from the dual threat of a shrinking portfolio of active substances and increasing pests^[1] resistance to treatments. Climate change compounds this issue by enabling pests to survive milder winters, expand their ranges, and increase their exposure to pesticides—accelerating the development of resistance. Addressing this complex issue requires a comprehensive, science-based systemic approach that integrates early detection, adaptive management, and long-term foresight to reduce resistance risks and strengthen the sustainability and resilience of agriculture and forestry. It is also relevant to acknowledge that while pesticides are important short-term solutions, the long-term solutions require shifts in current agriculture or forestry practices and system-level transformations within agri-food systems that would boost the resilience of these production environments, while preserving biodiversity.

Proposals should:

• map resistance risks by assessing the current and projected emergence of pest resistance, considering the declining number of available active substances^[2] and the authorised products for different crops;
• develop early detection methods and predictive modelling (including AI-driven approaches) to anticipate and monitor the evolution of pesticide resistance, integrating advanced measurements tools and risk assessment methodologies, notably when products are used at farm level;
• design and evaluate innovative integrated pest and weed management (IPWM) strategies that reduce resistance risks by expanding non-chemical preventive and curative options, optimising the rotation and combination of (agroecological) farming practices, and applying advanced technologies for precise and targeted pesticide use, while capitalising on the results of previous and ongoing initiatives;
• innovate storage and handling practices to reduce resistance pressure during post-harvest stages;
• support foresight activities to anticipate, mitigate and prevent resistance impacts by exploring interactions among technological, environmental, and socio-economic drivers, assessing planned resistance-management strategies against various future scenarios, establishing long-term resistance monitoring, and integrating foresight outputs into decision-making and adaptive management through collaboration across research, farming and forestry sectors, industry, stakeholder networks, and policymakers;
• enhance capacity-building, stakeholder engagement and communication through awareness-raising, sensitisation, education, and the co-creation of solutions with end-users.

Proposals must implement the multi-actor approach including a range of actors to ensure that knowledge and needs from various sectors are brought together.

Proposals should capitalise on relevant research findings, knowledge, solutions and tools, from past and ongoing projects and collaborate with ongoing initiatives. In addition, proposals should consider the activities of international committees on pesticide resistance management.

The projects under this topic are relevant to the EU policies related to the objectives of the common agricultural policy, the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive^[3], and align with the Vision for Agriculture and Food, and support the Commission Communication on: Building the future with nature: Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU^[4].

[1] A pest is defined here as any species, strain or biotype of plant, animal or pathogenic agent injurious to plants or plant products (EU Regulation 2016/2031).

[2] https://food.ec.europa.eu/plants/pesticides/eu-pesticides-database_en

[3] DIRECTIVE 2009/128/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 21 October 2009 establishing a framework for Community action to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides - https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:02009L012…

[4] COM (2024)137 final- EUR-Lex - 52024DC0137 - EN - EUR-Lex