Ongoing PhD : Pathways to reduce the use of pesticides
What are the main uses of pesticides in the Province of Luxembourg (Southern Belgium) ? How can we accompany actors from the agricultural sector to engage in pathways to reduce the use of pesticides ?
Presentation
The objectives of this PhD thesis are the following :
- Take stock of the current situation in terms of the pesticides use in the Province of Luxembourg and establish a network of model farms ;
- Characterise to what extent agricultural soils of the Province of Luxembourg are polluted by pesticides ; assess and compare on-field pesticides residues for different crops and cultural practices (conventional agriculture, organic agriculture, other innovative practices)
- Design prospective transition scenarios towards a reduced use of pesticides in the Province of Luxembourg, while ensuring the profitability of agricultural systems ;
- Disentangle benefits, costs and risks associated with the use of pesticides and identify lock-ins, barriers and levers towards the development of agricultural practices which are not / less dependent on the use of pesticides and adapted to the agricultural and pedoclimatic contexts of the Province of Luxembourg.
The project is presented in more detail in the attached documents (in French):
