Strategic cooperation across research projects with overlapping priorities and objectives is crucial to maximising the impact and longevity of the resulting scientific outputs. Cognizant of this tenet, FORSAID has been proactive in establishing synergistic partnerships with a multitude of like-minded initiatives - STELLA, Cerberus and NextGenBioPest. The latest to join this list is PurPest, a project dedicated to advancing innovative pest detection technologies.

Funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, PurPest brings together 18 institutions from 11 European countries to develop an advanced Sensor System Prototype (SSP) for early pest detection. By analysing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chemical signals released by pests or infected plants, the project uses innovative sensor technology to identify five major pests, including quarantine and priority species. The SSP will enable rapid, non-invasive, real-time plant health monitoring, thereby reducing the risk of pest invasions and significantly minimising the need for pesticide use.  

Aligned with FORSAID’s focus on sustainable agroforestry practices through technological innovation, the PurPest project focuses on plant pest and pathogen management with an emphasis on long-term, environmentally friendly solutions. In this context, particular support is afforded to:

• advancing smart sensor systems for early pest detection, improving plant health monitoring precision;

• integrating non-invasive monitoring solutions to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides;

• assessing the ecological and economic impacts of five plant pests, including eradication costs and farmer-preferred control methods;

• strengthening stakeholder engagement to promote the adoption of innovative pest management strategies;

• encouraging expertise transfer and best practices to improve resilience in European agricultural and forest systems.

The collaboration between PurPest and FORSAID helps pave the way for more resilient, environmentally conscious agriculture through knowledge exchange and provides opportunities for engaging common stakeholders. Watch out for more updates on joint activities as the projects’ implementation evolves and matures.