Mack G., Finger R., Ammann J., El Benni N. (2023). Modelling policies towards pesticide-free agricultural production systems. Agricultural systems, 01/04/2023, vol. 207, p. 1-18.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103642
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103642
Titre : | Modelling policies towards pesticide-free agricultural production systems (2023) |
Auteurs : | G. Mack ; R. Finger ; J. Ammann ; N. El Benni |
Type de document : | Article |
Dans : | Agricultural systems (vol. 207, April 2023) |
Article en page(s) : | p. 1-18 |
Langues : | Anglais |
Langues du résumé : | Anglais |
Catégories : |
Catégories principales 06 - AGRICULTURE. FORÊTS. PÊCHES ; 6.4 - Production Agricole. Système de ProductionThésaurus IAMM SYSTEME DE PRODUCTION ; PESTICIDE ; AGRICULTURE ALTERNATIVE ; EVALUATION ; INCITATION ; POLITIQUE AGRICOLE |
Résumé : | CONTEXT The use of pesticides implies negative effects on human health and the environment. Thus, the reduction in pesticide risks without harming food security and farmers' income is a key policy goal. OBJECTIVE The aim is to investigate the implications of policies that explicitly foster the large-scale adoption of pesticide-free, non-organic production systems at the national scale using Swiss crop production as an illustrative example. METHODS We develop a bio-economic modelling approach that combines agent-based modelling, a Delphi study to assess yield implications and a detailed representation of labour and machinery implications of pesticide-free, non-organic production. Using an agent-based modelling framework allows the consideration of heterogeneous farm-specific adaptation responses to voluntary direct payments for crop-specific conversion to pesticide-free but non-organic production systems. The modelling framework is used to assess the effects of changing pesticide policies on farm and sector levels and its implications for (crop-specific) food production in terms of area, volume, value and income. Our approach is illustrated using Switzerland as an example, where voluntary direct payments for a crop-specific conversion to pesticide-free but non-organic production systems will be implemented. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The results show that the extent of crop-specific yield losses has an especially significant effect on the adoption rate of pesticide-free cropping systems. The impacts of introducing voluntary direct payments for pesticide-free production at the national scale imply reduced food (volume) and calorie production but only minimal reductions in the production value, especially due to expected higher prices for pesticide-free products. The effects on farmers' income are small, as participation in pesticide-free production is compensated with direct payments and higher prices and often implies cost reduction in labour and machinery due to non-use of pesticides. To establish large-scale production systems between conventional and organic cropping systems and, thereby, reduce trade-offs resulting from both extremes, policy schemes need to be flexible, allowing the adoption of a pesticide-free paradigm for some parts of the crop rotation but not necessarily entire crop rotations. SIGNIFICANCE This is the first national-scale study on the implications of adopting a pesticide-free, non-organic crop production system by using Swiss crop production as an illustrative example. |
Cote : | En ligne |
URL / DOI : | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103642 |