The programme on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) was initiated in 2010 in direct response to EU Directive 2009/128 on Sustainable Pesticide Use. Thanks to funding from the Swedish Board of Agriculture (Jordbruksverket), 18 fact-sheets on IPM of golf courses and other green amenity areas were published on STERF’s website in 2011.
Since 2011, all Nordic countries (including those that are not EU members) have implemented 2009/128 EU, and the national authorities are working continuously on concrete measures to achieve the goal of less pesticide use. In a contact meeting between STERF and the national authorities on 27 May 2015, it was suggested that the digital library from 2011 should be revised to include the last four years of research and qualified experiences, and also that the library should be extended with more fact-sheets covering new aspects of IPM.
The project included revision of STERF’s 18 existing fact-sheets and publication of 10 new fact-sheets. At the request of the Norwegian Ministry of Food and Agriculture, cultural-specific guidelines for IPM on golf courses were developed linked to the STERF fact-sheets. Most of the project funding was granted by the national authorities responsible for implementation of IPM in Denmark and Norway.
All fact-sheets include contact information on ‘IPM ambassadors’ – turfgrass managers with specialist practical experience within the topic covered by the fact-sheet. The fact-sheets were completed in May 2016 and are now available in three Scandinavian languages on the STERF website. The official Norwegian IPM guidelines for golf courses have been published, at www.nibio.no/ipv
The Ministry of Education in Denmark funded development of control questions and assignments for IPM education and private studies based on the fact-sheets.
2015 | 2016 | Total | |
STERF | 96 | 50 | 146 |
Other sources | 293 | 0 | 293 |
Total | 389 | 50 | 439 |
Main objective:
• Coordinated and efficient implementation of EU Directive 2009/128 on sustainable pesticide use on golf courses and other green amenity areas in the Nordic countries
Subgoals:
• Development of crop-specific guidelines for IPM on golf courses and other green amenity areas
• Revision/update of STERF’s 18 existing fact sheets on IPM
• Development of 10 new IPM fact sheets prioritised by the national authorities in Denmark and Norway
• Compilation of five control question per fact sheet for use in self studies and teaching situations
Head of Research
Norwegian Institute for Bioeconomy (NIBIO), Department for Urban Greening and Environmental Technology, Turfgrass Research Group, Landvik, Reddalsveien 215, 4886 Grimstad, Norway.
STERF is a research foundation that supports existing and future R&D efforts and delivers ‘ready-to-use research results’ that benefit the Nordic golf sector. STERF was set up in 2006 by the golf federations in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland and the Nordic Greenkeepers’ Associations.