Jointly organised by two H2020 sister projects to promote a holistic approach to Integrated Pest Management (IPM), the conference provided a forum for farmers, extension services, researchers and policy makers. Margarit Tigranyan's participation was made possible by the APPEAR partnership on Strengthening Organic Agriculture in Armenia: Participatory Higher Education and Knowledge Exchange for Development - SOAA. The project aims to improve the Organic Agriculture Master's Programme (OAMP) at the Armenian National Agrarian University (ANAU), including by supporting the capacity building of its lecturers.
In the framework of “IPM works”, Margarit participated in several scientific session regarding agroecological and sustainable weed management, mitigating pesticide use and integrating IPM, minimizing residues in crops and the use of innovative biopesticides. Demonstration farms and knowledge exchange networks were also showcased as part of the initiative to highlight the connections between agriculture and the environment.
The conference also included several workshops. In one workshop Margarit first learned how to build and manage IPM hubs and then how to become a hub coach. Another workshop covered several techniques, including how to plan the curriculum and objectives of the hub, how to survey interested farmers, and how to organise fun group work and exercises. The third workshop was about biological control in integrated pest management. The workshop was conducted by a representative of one of the world's leading companies, Biobest. The main topics of discussion were groups of living organisms and techniques for establishing them in an open field. As there are seasonal inoculative and inundative releases of agents, the first crucial element for the latter was to understand the purpose of biotreatment. Secondly, how biopesticides can support integrated pest management (IPM) when pest numbers increase, and how biopesticides can be maintained in the field using banker plants.
The project team is proud of Margarit and looks forward to seeing the impact of her participation!