A dual indicator set to help farms achieve more sustainable crop protection.
BACKGROUND
Farmers are being called to use plant protection products (PPPs) more consciously and adopt more sustainable crop protection strategies. Indicators will help farmers to monitor their progress towards sustainability and will support their learning process. Talking the indicators through in farmers' discussion groups and the resulting peer encouragement will foster knowledge acquirement and can lead to changes in attitudes, norms, perception and behaviour.


RESULTS
Using a participatory approach, a conceptual framework for on-farm sustainable crop protection practices was created. The same participatory approach was used to design a dual indicator set, which pairs a pesticide impact assessment system (PIAS) with a farm inquiry. The PIAS measures the risk for human health and the environment exerted by chemical crop protection. The inquiry reveals the farmers' response to this risk, both in terms of the actions they take and their knowledge, awareness and attitude.


CONCLUSIONS
The dual indicator set allows for implementation in four tiers, each representing increased potential for monitoring and social learning. The indicator set can be adjusted on the basis of new findings, and the participatory approach can be extrapolated to other situations.
Social Sciences Unit, Institute for Agriculture and Fisheries Research, Merelbeke, Belgium. hilde.wustenberghs@ilvo.vlaanderen.be
Hilde
H
Wustenberghs
Ilse
I
Delcour
Karoline
K
D'Haene
Ludwig
L
Lauwers
Fleur
F
Marchand
Walter
W
Steurbaut
Pieter
P
Spanoghe
D000383:Agriculture; D001290:Attitude; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure; D019359:Knowledge; D010465:Perception; D010575:Pesticides / Q000633:toxicity; D012307:Risk Factors; D000078329:Workforce
D010575:Pesticides