CROPROTECT: a knowledge exchange system to support UK growers in sustainable crop protection to allow efficient crop production

To ensure efficient crop production and to avoid wasting the land, water and nutrient resources used, it is essential that crop losses to attacking pests, weeds and diseases are prevented as much as possible. These attacking organisms have been managed primarily with pesticides for the last few decades but now alternative solutions need to be delivered.

Currently there is a disconnect between the R&D community and the farming industry. This must change if farmers and agronomists are to be better informed and with the expanding capacity and reach of information technology there is a real prospect of delivering location specific farming advice. To allow innovation, a system is needed to 1) identify best practise and 2) transfer information about best practice to farmers and agronomists. UK agriculture and horticulture are facing huge challenges (highlighted in the National Farmers Union healthy harvest report) as conventional pesticides are being restricted by legislation and lost to resistance. This project will develop a web-based knowledge exchange system to support growers by providing evidence based information about integrated pest management (IPM) and alternatives to pesticides. Currently much of the information that is readily available relates only to pesticides and there is a lack of awareness of alternatives. Information is also needed because alternatives are often more complicated to use.

The knowledge exchange framework built by the project will be web-based and comprise a number of linked modules: 1) a grower interface where farm information and crop protection needs is entered by farmers. Growers will input details of their pest, weed and disease challenges; 2) a geographic information system where farm data are held and mapped spatially; 3) a module gathering information about potential solutions. This part of the system will be driven by curated data obtained from disparate industry and academic sources regarding pest, weed and disease management recommendations; 4) an information processing and design of IPM systems module which will be at the hub of the system, and 5) an information delivery module that will provide relevant solutions to individual users. The outcome will be a crop health web portal growers could visit and obtain relevant advice about IPM.

The system will co-ordinate and connect grower data with information to allow the design and provision of pest management solutions. It will be a two-way system and allow us to obtain a detailed picture of the challenges growers face. The basic framework will be generic and units will be built for each of the major UK crops. As different units are added and the system develops it will build a detailed picture of both problems and best pest management practices. The system will thus make use of information technology to provide better information about pesticide alternatives. This will have substantial economic, environmental and societal benefits in terms of minimising crop losses, optimising control strategies, improving competitiveness and reducing environmental footprint.

The project is expected to make advances in web-based knowledge transfer systems. It will create and develop a system for gathering location specific data in a geographic information system with problem solving modules. The very real challenges farmers face in crop protection mean that a new communication system will be developed to provide answers about solutions. The current project is designed to address crop protection but lessons learnt could be used in development of other problem-solving systems.

Much of current crop protection, at the farm level, is still based on pesticides. Knowledge exchange is an essential component of the promotion of IPM and alternative approaches therefore the project will fulfil a vital role in implementation of the "Sustainable Use Directive", EU directive 2009-128, which not only places restrictions on the use of conventional toxic pesticides but also has a requirement for "Promoting the use of IPM (integrated pest management) and of alternative approaches". This project will provide a new framework for knowledge exchange.

Stakeholder group 1: Farmers and agronomists. The project will create, develop and provide a web-based knowledge exchange system for crop health. It will identify best practise for crop protection and share relevant information tailored to their location and requirements. New solutions are needed as pesticide options are being taken away. For example, herbicide resistance is threatening the viability of Winter wheat which may have to be drilled in the Spring in large areas of the UK to avoid blackgrass (Paul Brown, Frontier) but this means lower wheat yield. Insect pest management in oilseed rape is becoming more difficult after the neonicotinoid restriction - one farmer (Andrew Howard) recently wrote that flea beetle problems meant that he was considering stopping growing the crop. Sustainable intensification will require more "knowledge per hectare" (RISE report 2014). The project will unlock new options, such as cultural control methods, use of resistant varieties and biocontrol by making farmers and agronomists aware of them. Farm business viability will be improved and the sustainability of important crops such as oilseed rape and Winter wheat would be improved.

Stakeholder group 2: Processors and retailers. The project will provide strategic information to the UK agricultural industry to maintain competitiveness and home-grown production systems. The vulnerability of production systems to yield instability and loss of quality will be reduced because the project will help to fill the gap left as pesticide use is restricted. This will reduce the risk of relying on imported food. Furthermore, by reducing reliance on pesticides, pesticide residues in food and water will be reduced which will benefit this stakeholder group.

Stakeholder group 3: Policymakers, researchers and support industries concerned with farming. The project will provide strategic information on farmer experiences of pests, weeds and diseases that will allow improvement of policies, research, products or services. The project will particularly benefit the Agricultural Informatics community. The spatial information about location of pests, weeds and diseases would be a powerful resource for integration with weather data and Sarah Jackson from the MET office has expressed an interest in this. As increasing numbers of farmers and agronomists use the system the 'crowd-sourced' information will become more powerful and will allow formulation of evidenced based policy and targeted provision of products and services. The system addresses a particular concern for UK farmers and agronomists but could also serve as a prototype for developing farming advice services globally. The system will be primarily web based because this will maximise the availability of the information, allow regular updating and real time two-way information exchange. It will be an interactive system driven by user requirements.

Stakeholder group 4: Consumers. The project would help to maintain efficient production systems which will feed through to maintaining reasonable food prices. Many consumers dislike pesticide use and this project would help to minimise their use by providing information about alternatives to farmers. There would also be environmental benefit and by reducing crop losses resources such as land and water would be more available for other purposes.