AGrOecOlogy for weeDs

Weeds negatively affect the sustainability of EU farming systems with weed management relying to a large extent on herbicides. The reduction of herbicide use and risk has become major policy targets of Farm to Fork strategy, aiming to promote agroecology and the transition to sustainable and resilient farming systems. GOOD is a 4-year project adopting multidisciplinary approach, aspired to create and evaluate Agroecological Weed Management (AWM) systems, and demonstrate that AWM adoption enhances sustainability and resilience of cropping systems. The main ambition is to foster the agroecological transition for weed management across Europe. Living-Labs (LL) will be co-created with stakeholders and established in 6 EU pedoclimatic conditions in both annual and perennial crops to promote AWM practices in conventional, organic and mixed farming systems. The use and combination of cover crops along with several cultural practices, the use of beneficial microorganisms and digital tools will be assessed towards the agroecological manipulation and management of weeds and the increase of crop productivity and farmers’ income. The main outcomes include: (1) the creation of an Agroecological Weed Management Network (AWMN), (2) the development and combination of innovative and socioeconomically validated sustainable agroecological practices that will generate social, economic and environmental benefits through the reduction or elimination of chemical inputs and optimized use of natural resources linked to the post EU 2030 targets, (3) the digitalization of weed management, (4) the enhancement of the agricultural systems resilience without jeopardizing productivity and profitability. Successful outcomes will be promoted through dissemination and demonstration activities, and a web-Platform for the training of farmers on AWM systems, a repository on current weed management methods and herbicide use, and an AWM Toolbox to assist farmers' decision-making for AWM.