FARM 2026 Conference - Rethinking crop protection: acting collectively for life
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Cité internationale universitaire de Paris – France
9 AM – 6 PM
PROGRAM FOR THE DAY
9 AM | Welcome coffee
10:00 AM – 10:20 AM | Opening of the conference
- Pascal Lheureux, president of the FARM Foundation
- Annie Genevard, Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
10:20 AM – 10:30 AM | Presentation of the day and the theme chosen by FARM
- Matthew Brun, scientific director of the FARM Foundation
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM | Sequence 1: Rethinking crop protection systems
Moderation by Sarah Sermondadaz, head of the Environment section at The Conversation France
Introductory presentation:
- Christian Huyghe, president of the Scientific Council of the FARM Foundation and special advisor to the scientific director of Agriculture at INRAE.
- Decio Karam, researcher at EMBRAPA in Brazil, specialist in biology, ecology and weed control
Case study based on the results of the PRETAG initiative on dessert bananas and plantains:
- Denis Loeillet, a researcher at CIRAD specializing in the banana industry
Flash: Analysis of the hidden costs of crop protection :
- Gérard De La Paix Bayiha, Cameroonian researcher, specialist in hidden costs in crop protection
12 PM – 12:30 PM | Presentation of the FARM Foundation Prize 2026
- Astou Diao Camara, sociologist and director of BAME (Bureau d'analyses macro économiques) Senegal and member of the Scientific Council of FARM
- Catherine Migault, Executive Director of the FARM Foundation
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Lunch cocktail
2:30 PM – 2:40 PM | Focus on the ECOFFEE consortium
- Clément Rigal, ECOFFEE R&D Executive Secretariat
2:40 PM – 4:10 PM | Sequence 2: From training to the organization of supply chains: providing support to share the risk in crop protection
Moderation by Bruno Faure, economics journalist at RFI
This section highlights current initiatives aimed at supporting the transition to more sustainable crop protection practices. It emphasizes that the risk cannot fall solely on farmers: all actors in the supply chain must be mobilized. Through the introduction of the concept of socio-technical lock-in, it offers an analysis of the systemic obstacles to the transition and explores available levers for action, particularly those at the downstream end of the supply chain (cooperatives, distributors, processors, etc.). Finally, it examines training programs, stressing that they must target not only farmers but also all stakeholders.
- Ahmed Abu Zahra, responsible for the crops portfolio and third-party partnerships for Africa and the Middle East at BASF
- Véronique Dansou, agricultural engineer and coordinator of the FAR Togo Network
- Matthieu Le Grix, head of the Agriculture, Rural Development and Biodiversity division of the French Development Agency (AFD)
- Pierre Monteux, Director of the Union of Banana Producers' Groups of Guadeloupe and Martinique
4:10 PM – 5:40 PM | Sequence 3: Supporting producers and scaling up: "the carrot or the stick"«
Moderation by Thibaut Soyez, project manager at the FARM Foundation.
This section explores the central role of public policies in supporting producers towards more sustainable crop protection practices. It examines the balance between incentives and regulatory constraints in support mechanisms for this transition. Through an analysis of national and international policies, it will consider, for example, the impact of European legislation on guiding the technical and economic choices of producers internationally. The objective is to understand how regulatory frameworks can become drivers of change, provided they are combined with appropriate support measures and a shared vision of the transition.
- Sarah Brunel, head of the "Implementation and Facilitation" unit of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), within the FAO
- Edouard Lehmann, director of the research and development department of COLEAD
- Absa Mbodj, agroecologist and project manager at Enda Pronat
- Ludovic Temple, researcher at CIRAD, specialist in innovation policies related to agroecology
5:40 PM – 6:00 PM | Conclusions
- Michel Eddi, vice-president of FARM
- Anthony Chaumuzeau, Secretary General of the One Health 2026 World Summit
6:00 PM – 6:45 PM | Cocktail
PROGRAM OF THE DAY
9 AM | Coffee reception
10:00 AM – 10:20 AM | Opening of the conference
- Pascal Lheureux, president of the FARM Foundation
- Annie Genevard, French minister of agriculture
10:20 AM – 10:30 AM | Presentation of the day and the theme chosen by FARM
- Matthew Brun, scientific director of the FARM Foundation
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM | Sequence 1: Rethinking crop protection systems
Moderated by Sarah Sermondadaz, journalist at The Conversation France.
Introductory presentation:
- Christian Huyghe, president of the Scientific council of the FARM Foundation and special advisor to the scientific director for agriculture at INRAE
- Decio Karam, EMBRAPA Brazil researcher, specialist in biology, ecology, and weed management.
Case study from the PRETAG Initiative on dessert and plantain bananas:
- Denis Loeillet, CIRAD researcher, specialist in the banana sector
Flash: analysis of hidden costs of crop protection:
- Gérard De La Paix Bayiha, Cameroonian researcher specializing in hidden costs in crop protection
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM | Awarding of the 2026 FARM Foundation prize by
- Astou Diao Camara, sociologist and director of BAME (Bureau of Macroeconomic Analysis) Senegal, and member of the FARM Scientific Council
- Catherine Migault, chief executive officer of the FARM Foundation
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Networking lunch cocktail
2:30 – 2:40 PM | Focus on the ECOFFEE Consortium
- Clément Rigal, executive secretariat of ECOFFEE R&D
2:40 PM – 4:10 PM | Sequence 2: From training to value chain organization – supporting risk sharing in crop protection
Moderated by Bruno Faure, economics journalist at RFI
This sequence highlights current initiatives aimed at supporting the transition toward more sustainable crop protection practices. It emphasizes that risk cannot remain solely on farmers: the entire value chain must be mobilized. By introducing the concept of socio-technical lock-in, it offers a reading of systemic barriers to transition and explores available levers of action, particularly downstream in the value chains (cooperatives, distributors, processors, etc.). Finally, it examines training systems, stressing that they must involve not only farmers but also stakeholders.
- Ahmed Abu Zahra, portfolio manager for Africa, Middle East and Central Asia at BASF
- Véronique Dansou, agricultural engineer and coordinator of the FAR Network Togo
- Matthieu Le Grix, Head of the Agriculture, Rural Development & Biodiversity Division at AFD (French Development Agency)
- Pierre Monteux, director of the Union of banana producers' groups of Guadeloupe and Martinique
4:10 PM – 5:40 PM | Sequence 3: Supporting producers and scaling up – “the carrot or the stick”
Moderated by Thibaut Soyez, project manager at the FARM Foundation
This sequence explores the central role of public policies in supporting producers toward more sustainable crop protection practices. It examines the balance between incentives and regulatory constraints in transition support mechanisms. Through the review of national and international policies, it will question, for example, the impact of European legislation in guiding producers' technical and economic choices internationally. The objective is to understand how regulatory frameworks can become drivers of change, provided they are combined with appropriate support measures and a shared vision of transition.
- Sarah Brunel, head of the Implementation and facilitation unit of the International plant protection convention (IPPC), within the FAO
- Edouard Lehmann, director of the research and development department at COLEAD
- Absa Mbodj, agroecologist and project manager at Enda Pronat
- Ludovic Temple, CIRAD researcher and specialist in innovation policies linked to agroecology
5:40 PM – 6:00 PM | Synthesis and conclusions
- Michel Eddi, vice president of the FARM Foundation
- Anthony Chaumuzeau, secretary general of the World Summit One Health 2026
6:00 PM – 6:45 PM | Closing Cocktail
Thematic
Protecting crops sustainably around the world
The FARM Foundation is organizing its 15th International Conference Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris.
Dedicated to the sustainable protection of crops, This edition will bring together producers, researchers, decision-makers, businesses and civil society actors to discuss solutions and possible pathways for more sustainable and equitable agriculture.
A global challenge for food security
Crop protection is essential To guarantee global food security against diseases and crop pests, traditional control solutions have significantly improved crop yields and sanitary quality.
However, today, urgent and complex challenges face the actors in the supply chains: protecting the health of producers and consumers, reducing environmental impacts and strengthening the resilience of agricultural systems while maintaining decent yields and incomes for producers.
These are particularly important issues in the countries of the Global South., where farmers face climatic hazards, limited access to inputs and pressure on natural resources.
Rethinking plant protection: towards an integrated and sustainable approach
The FARM 2026 Conference will be punctuated by speeches from actors from the North and the South. Public and private decision-makers, scientists, producers and recognized agricultural experts will take the floor to share their experiences around three main themes:
1. Rethinking crop protection systems at an international level to reconcile productivity and sustainability.
2. Encourage training of stakeholders and organisation of supply chains in order to share risks and remove socio-technical and economic barriers.
3. To favor public incentive policies and regulatory frameworks that support the transition to sustainable crop protection practices.
Discussions enriched by concrete examples
These examples will come in particular from the initiative PRETAG (Pesticide Reduction for Tropical Agricultures), coordinated by the CIRAD and supported by FARM since 2022. This program brings together research institutes and committed stakeholders to explore agroecological alternatives and propose concrete transition solutions in several agricultural sectors.
The FARM Foundation Prize, a highlight for action research
With €5,000, The FARM Prize recognizes a researcher from the Global South whose applied work directly contributes to sustainable agricultural development and food security.
Created in 2024, it promotes the action research and the synergies between science, economic actors and public policies.
In 2025, he awarded Koulibi Fidèle Zongo for his research on soil fertility in Burkina Faso.
Teacher-researcher at the Tenkodogo University Centre (Thomas Sankara University), he worked with rural women's collectives on compost production, strengthening agricultural resilience and local self-reliance.
The 2026 edition will confirm its role as a major international distinction, making the award ceremony one of the highlights of the FARM Conference.
Practical information
• FARM 2026 Conference: Rethinking crop protection: acting collectively for life
• Date : Tuesday, February 17, 2026, from 9:00 am to 6:30 pm
• Place : Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris – Espace Adenauer, 17 boulevard Jourdan, 75014 Paris
• Format: In-person and remote, with simultaneous translation into English
• Free event with registration: https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/1773134656489?aff=oddtdtcreator
• with the support of Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, and’Apexagri, in partnership with The Conversation France.
Previous editions of the International Conference
For any questions: conference@fondation-farm.org