Sustainability in Wheat Farming: A Critical Examination of Fungicide Practices in Belgium Through Life Cycle Assessment

Fungicide treatments represent a critical concern in Belgian wheat farming due to the prevalence of diseases such as fusarium, septoria, and yellow rust, which exert significant pressure on yields. The optimization of fungicide programs is essential, requiring the strategic use of multiple substances with distinct modes of action to mitigate resistance development. This challenge is further exacerbated by regular adjustments in fungicides regulations and the introduction of new compounds.
Despite the crucial role of fungicides in agriculture, there is a notable scarcity of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies addressing their environmental impacts. However, decision support systems for fungicides application already exist, and integrating LCA into these tools could provide an additional valuable criterion for decision-making, promoting more sustainable agricultural practices. This research aims to address key challenges surrounding the environmental impacts evaluation of fungicides use, focusing on wheat production in Belgium. These challenges encompass limitations of field emissions modelling in current Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) databases and the assessment of potential toxic effects on human health resulting from the consumption of residues on plants.
In this context, the framework developed by the OLCA-Pest project is applied in order to model field emissions of fungicides and estimate the characterization factors for human toxicity associated with the fungicidal substances currently employed in Belgian wheat farming. This preliminary analysis focuses on a specific two-step program, involving triazole, SDHI, and multi-site fungicides. Initial results reveal significant environmental impacts on toxicity categories, with notable variations across different substances. The outcomes of this analysis will serve as a benchmark for the LCA of alternative fungicide programs, including innovative sustainable pest control solutions currently under development within a project funded by Belgian public authorities.
This approach aims to provide valuable insights into the environmental and human health impacts of fungicide programs in Belgian wheat farming. Integrating such LCA studies into local decision support tools holds promise for refining fungicides use strategies, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable and resilient agricultural sector in Belgium.