FORTUNA Annual Project Meeting in Pisa

On 18–19 February 2025, a joint meeting of EU-funded projects FORTUNA  and T0P-AGRI-Network  took place in Pisa, Italy, hosted by the prestigious Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna. Both projects aim to support the transition of European agriculture toward innovative and economically viable pesticide-free production systems by reducing or phasing out the use of synthetic plant protection products harmful to human health or to the environment. The two-day event aimed to facilitate knowledge exchange on pesticide-free and integrated plant management solutions and foster dialogue among experts from different European regions.

The meeting was opened by Matteo Dell’Acqua, Director of the Institute of Plant Sciences at Sant’Anna followed by welcome remarks from project coordinators Silke Dachbrodt-Saaydeh (FORTUNA) and Danilo Christen (T0P-AGRI). The plenary session continued with three inspiring keynote presentations:

• Timo Sprangers (Wageningen) presented the IWMpraise project, which aims to support and implement integrated weed management across Europ
• Nicolas Munier-Jolain (INRAE) introduced the CA-SYS experimental platform, designed for landscape-scale research on pesticide-free agroecological systems
• Danilo Christen (Agroscope) presented the ArboPhytoRed project, which develops solutions to reduce pesticide use in orchard systems. His talk illustrated through practical examples, how plant protection systems can be transformed.

In the afternoon session, participants actively engaged in two workshops: the first examined specific solutions for different pest categories (weeds, insects, pathogens), while the second focused on integrated pest management strategies for various production systems (arable crops, vegetables, and orchards).

The second day began with an online presentation by Henry Creissen (University of the Highlands & Islands), who discussed the economic and social aspects of integrated pest management. This was followed by Paola Cassiano (Institute of Plant Sciences, Sant’Anna), who presented the results of the FORTUNA survey conducted ahead of the Pisa event. The questionnaire aimed to identify the challenges and incentives that influence the adoption of alternative, pesticide-reduction solutions in agriculture. A total of 104 responses were received, of which 84 came from European countries. The main challenges identified included the risk of yield loss and the lack of knowledge or technical support. As incentives or enabling factors, respondents highlighted the importance of providing alternative plant protection solutions, improving access to information on sustainable practices, and offering financial support to farmers who use fewer pesticides.

The presentations were followed by another workshop, this time mapping region-specific barriers, incentives, and gaps across Southern, Eastern, Central, and Northern Europe. Discussions showed that experts considered a 50% reduction in pesticide use to be a realistic and achievable goal – particularly in arable and vegetable production, where combining crop diversification with technical solutions supports the transition. Many technological tools – biological control methods, resistant varieties, precision weed management, and decision-support systems – are already available and can help reduce chemical use. When accompanied by training, independent advisory services, and adequate financial incentives, these measures can enable significant progress without major losses in production. In contrast, transitioning to fully pesticide-free systems represents a longer-term and more complex challenge, requiring a comprehensive redesign of production systems.

The closing plenary session briefly summarised the workshop results, after which Silke Dachbrodt-Saaydeh outlined the next steps and opportunities for continued cooperation. As part of the FORTUNA project, a series of workshops will be organised to develop transition pathways for reducing chemical pesticide use in agriculture and to identify key research needs. The first workshop will be held on 4 December 2025 with a focus on production systems. This will be followed by three workshops in March 2026 addressing policy issues, value chains, and Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS). The final workshop, to be held in May 2026, will bring together all earlier participants to reflect jointly on the transition pathways.

Overall, the event successfully laid the groundwork for continued collaboration among the participating projects aiming to involve broader audience, contributing to the development of sustainable, pesticide-free agricultural systems at the European level.

Following the joint event, FORTUNA project partners continued with closed working sessions on 19-20 February, focusing specifically on evaluating project tasks and planning the next steps. Work package and task leaders presented the progress made so far, along with the processes underway.

In the current phase of the project, ÖMKi has actively contributed to strengthening the knowledge base related to sustainable plant protection by collecting, screening, and analysing scientific articles and studies. These analyses will provide a comprehensive overview of the technological developments, innovations, and existing gaps across sectors and production systems, taking into account the two future scenarios defined by the project: a 50% reduction in pesticide use and a fully pesticide-free agriculture.

ÖMKi is also responsible for developing a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), which will become a key focus in the second half of the project, following the series of workshops planned in spring 2026. However, the meeting in Pisa already provided an opportunity to discuss the planning process for the SRIA and define the first steps. The initial phase involves jointly developing the structure of the agenda together with the partners by the end of the year, based on the results achieved so far. This framework will serve as guidance and a foundation for subsequent workshops and analyses.