Graham Begg and Roy Neilson from the IPM@Hutton group plus other colleagues from the James Hutton Institute have had recent funding success as part of a consortium securing the Horizon-2020 bid for “IPMWORKS An EU-wide farm network demonstrating and promoting cost-effective IPM strategies”

IPMWORKS aims to promote the adoption of IPM strategies, based on a EU-wide network of farmers, who will both progress further in the adoption of IPM – through peer-to-peer learning and joint efforts – and demonstrate to other farmers that holistic IPM “works”; i.e. allows a low reliance on pesticides with better pest control, reduced costs and enhanced profitability.

IPMWORKS will coordinate existing networks across Europe, promoting IPM and launching new hubs of farms in regions or sectors where IPM pioneers are not yet engaged in a relevant network. Advisors coordinating hubs will have a major role in facilitating knowledge sharing, coaching farmers to find their own IPM solutions, and organising local demonstration activities. IPMWORKS will stimulate access to the ‘IPM Decisions’ platform and provide information on the IPM methods. It will collect data for comparing IPM strategies, and share results and dissemination material through channels widely used by farmers, broadcasting IPM success stories. It will organise training, and produce training material, targeting both farmers outside the network and advisory services, in order to prepare for the future dissemination of the peer-to-peer learning approach and the general adoption of IPM throughout the EU.

The James Hutton Institute is taking a leading role in the design and implementation of the data management activities of the European demonstration farm network. We will also provide expertise in IPM, on-farm demonstration, and multi-actor engagement to establish and operate the UK demonstration farm hub.