5 July 2022

What’s the view of agroecology practitioners on pesticides?

The European Commission released the long-awaited draft Regulation on the use of pesticides in the EU. The proposal includes a binding goal to reduce this use by 50% by 2030. But do we need pesticides at all? What are the alternatives to conventional farming?

Watch our conversation with Alain Peeters, Vice-President of Agroecology Europe to learn:

What agroecology actually is? Is it a nostalgic movement or is it based on science?

Can it provide enough food for Europe?

Is it the same as organic farming?

And last but not least – does the recent proposal answer the needs of farmers and the environment?

Also on the same topic: NOWMORE Questions episode 1 with the General Secretary of Copa-Cogeca, the biggest EU agriculture interest group, let’s discover the approach of agroecology practitioners and researchers.

About Alain Peeters

Alain is an agroecologist with 40 years of experience in agricultural and environmental research as well as environmental protection and management in temperate and tropical areas. He was a professor of agronomy for 20 years, a pioneer of organic farming in Belgium and Europe, and one of the founders of Agroecology Europe and its v-President.

In the last 10 years, he developed agroecological systems in commercial farms and is now working with groups of farmers for supporting them in their transition in the association ‘Terres Vivantes’ that aims to scale up agroecology in Belgian farms.

About Agroecology Europe

Agroecology Europe is a European association that promotes agroecology – the application of ecological concepts and principles in farming. The organisation was created on the 27th of January 2016 in Graux Estate, Belgium with the participation of 19 founders from 10 countries.

Agroecology Europe intends to place agroecology high on the European agenda of sustainable development of farming and food systems. It fosters interactions between actors in sciences, practices and social movements, by facilitating knowledge sharing and action. It aims at the creation of an inclusive European community of professionals, practitioners, and more generally societal stakeholders in agroecology.