MIMERA: An online tool for the sustainable pesticide use at field scale

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2022-11, Vol.846, p.157285-157285, Article 157285
• Main Authors: Di Guardo, Andrea, Capri, Ettore, Calliera, Maura, Finizio, Antonio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Environmental risk assessment; Mitigation measures; Pest management strategies; Pesticides
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157285

As echoed in the European Green Deal and Farm to Fork strategy, the EU agricultural policy has clear objectives of improving the sustainability (environmental, economic and social) of farm productions. The environmental goals are supported by promotion of organic farming and the responsible management of inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides. In this framework, there is a need is to provide farmers with tools to evaluate the best options for reducing environmental impact and measure performances in improving the sustainability of their productions. This paper introduces MIMERA, a GIS easy-to-use tool for the sustainable use of pesticides at farm level. MIMERA was developed in the framework of the Train-Agro project funded by the Lombardia Region (Italy), in the framework of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development Programme (EAFRD). The main goal is to help professional pesticide users to identify the best pest management strategies by comparing the environmental risk of authorized commercial formulations of pesticides, identifying parcel most at risk within the farm boundaries and suggesting the most appropriate risk mitigation measures for the prevention of surface water contamination. Finally, MIMERA offers the opportunity to track the risk trend of the selected pest management strategies utilized during years. The proposed methodology and structure of MIMERA are described along with underlying data and algorithms are described. An example of its application by considering different pest management strategies adopted by farmers in an area characterized by the intensive presence of maize crop in Lombardia Region is presented. [Display omitted] •Pesticide risk assessment at field and farm scale•Easy-to-use tool integrated with territorial data•Identification of the trend of contamination risk by pest management strategies•Focus on active ingredients but also on commercial formulations•Identification of the suitable mitigation measures to lower the risk for surface water