Brussels, November 7, 2023. Today, Tuesday, November 7, from 10:00 to 11:30 (Brussels time), the European LIFE NextFUMIGREEN project held a webinar as part of the side events of the European Week of Regions and Cities 2023 (EU Regions Week) entitled “Innovative natural fumigants for a sustainable Europe: LIFE NextFUMIGREEN project and its benefits for the environment.”
The event underscored the importance of protecting agricultural activities and using sustainable alternatives to chemical pesticides, considering their impact on the environment and food safety. Likewise, the benefits of using fumigant phytosanitary products based on natural active ingredients were emphasized.
The institutional panel entitled “Green Solutions and the European Union” was introduced by Mazaly Aguilar, MEP and Vice-President of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI). During her address, she emphasized the importance of adopting “balanced choices” in the use of pesticides. She also stressed the importance of not opting for a “total and absolute replacement of traditional methods,” but rather of implementing “appropriate and responsible management” of chemicals, especially when crops face serious threats.
Next, Heijo Höfer, a member of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), addressed regulations and future prospects for the use of pesticides and chemicals in the European Union. He emphasized that the “development of new ecological methods” is essential and stressed that, in this regard, “biological control is the solution.”
In the panel dedicated to the project’s scope, Juanma Revuelta, CEO of the FINNOVA Foundation (EU), addressed the opportunities offered by European funds and the LIFE Programme. He also took the opportunity to call for public-private collaboration with LIFE projects, with the aim of ensuring project continuity and advancing toward shared sustainable goals.
Carlos Ramos, operations manager at Fumi-Hogar, explained the LIFE NextFUMIGREEN project, detailing its main innovations and the beneficial results it has demonstrated in terms of food security, sustainability, and climate change, and how these can contribute to Europe.
Finally, a roundtable discussion was held to exchange best practices and present examples of other approved projects. Sandra Aldaz del Burgo, a biologist at INTIA, introduced the European LIFE-IP NAdapta project; Lars T. BERGER, Head of Technology at Pulverizadores Fede, presented the progress of the Life-AIs project; and Carolina Martínez Gaitán, Head of R&D at the Tecnova Technology Center, explained the Rustica project.
The full webinar can be viewed here.
About LIFE NextFUMIGREEN
The European LIFE NextFUMIGREEN project actively promotes food safety by developing natural fumigants from plant extracts to control pests in intensive greenhouse horticultural crops. Led by Fumihogar (www.fumi-hogar.com) and with the collaboration of the Foundation for Auxiliary Technologies for Agriculture (www.fundaciontecnova.com); the Finnova Foundation (www.finnova.eu); B&B Asesores Auditores Ambientales (www.bbasesores.com); Comercial Quimica Masso (www.cqmasso.com), and BrioAgro Tech (www.brioagro.es), the project has a total budget of €2,758,921.01, 60% of which is subsidized by the LIFE Programme.
