NextGenBioPest at ISD 2026!

On May 12th, 2026, our partner Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra presented new research findings from NextGenBioPest at the International Scientific Days 2026 (ISD 2026), held in Horný Smokovec, Slovakia — one of the key annual gatherings of the Central and Eastern European agricultural research community.

ISD 2026 brought together scientists, academics, and researchers from across the region to exchange the latest findings in agricultural sciences, rural development, and food systems — making it an ideal platform for disseminating NextGenBioPest's results to a broad and engaged scientific audience.

Pesticide Intensity, Productivity, and Farm Size: A Pan-European Picture

The Slovak University of Agriculture team delivered a conference presentation based on the article "Pesticide Intensity, Productivity, and Farm Size: Mapping Agricultural Profiles in the EU" — a timely and policy-relevant contribution that explores one of the fundamental questions underpinning the NextGenBioPest mission.

The research maps agricultural profiles across EU member states, examining how pesticide intensity relates to farm productivity and farm size. By identifying patterns and disparities across Europe's diverse farming landscape, the study provides a crucial evidence base for understanding where the transition to sustainable, biopesticide-based crop protection solutions is most needed — and most feasible.

The findings shed light on the structural dimensions of pesticide dependency in European agriculture: how farm size shapes the economic calculus of pesticide use, how productivity pressures drive intensity, and what these dynamics mean for the uptake of innovative alternatives like those being developed within NextGenBioPest.

Building the Evidence Base for Change

Understanding the current state of pesticide use across the EU is not merely an academic exercise — it is a prerequisite for designing effective policies, targeted interventions, and adoption strategies for next-generation biopesticides. This research directly supports NextGenBioPest's broader ambition of assessing the socioeconomic dimensions of the transition to sustainable plant protection.

By presenting these results at ISD 2026, the Slovak University of Agriculture team ensured that the project's socioeconomic insights reached researchers working across agricultural economics, agronomy, and rural policy — audiences whose work will ultimately shape the conditions under which innovations like those developed in NextGenBioPest can scale.