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Monica Höfte – Ghent University, Department of Plants and Crops

To feed the increasing world population within the boundaries of the planet, sustainable intensification of food production is essential. In many parts of the world, crop yields have increased considerably in the last 60 years. This increase is largely due to the use of high-yielding varieties in combination with fertilizers and pesticides. Pesticides protect crops from (invasive) weeds, pathogens and pests and play an important role in food security. However, their use is questioned and their effectiveness is threatened by the evolution of resistant  pathogens, weeds and pests. Pesticide resistance is an interesting case of accelerated evolution and may lead to superweeds and superbugs, similar to drug-resistant bacteria and fungi in medicine. Nowadays, the focus is shifting from crop protection to plant health management, comparable to health promotion and disease prevention in humans. Plant health management emphasizes prevention, diversity and plant resilience, but is it really possible to feed the world without chemical pesticides?