Summary
This European policy synthesis integrates agronomic and economic evidence to examine the transition towards sustainable crop protection. The authors identify four critical gaps: sustainable practices operate as interdependent bundles rather than isolated measures; adoption metrics should focus on pesticide risk reduction rather than simple uptake rates; behavioural factors remain significantly under-researched; and existing analytical tools inadequately capture these complexities. The framework aims to guide evidence-based policy design for achieving ambitious European pesticide reduction targets.
Regional applicability
The findings are directly applicable to UK agricultural policy, particularly given alignment with UK pesticide reduction ambitions and similar farming structures. However, policy transfer will require adaptation to UK-specific institutional contexts, farm demographics, and existing governance frameworks.
Key measures
Adoption indicators for sustainable crop protection; pesticide risk reduction metrics; policy instrument effectiveness; behavioural factors influencing farmer decisions
Outcomes reported
The study synthesised evidence on farmer adoption of sustainable crop protection practices and assessed policy effectiveness in supporting the transition to reduced pesticide use and risk. The analysis integrated agronomic and economic perspectives to identify gaps in current policy instruments and analytical tools.
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