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WeedingMAPsNews

Botanica Futura: Promoting Non-Chemical Weed Management in Medicinal Plants

The Botanica Futura Convention, organised by Erboristeria Domani with the University of Padua and the support of the Italian Federation of Medicinal Plant Producers (FIPPO), combined a trade fair with a technical-scientific conference and attracted many participants. With the support of a dissemination grant, Jessica Girardi from the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre attended to present the COST Action CA23123 weedingMAPs at the "Plants and Health" conference, organised by the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UniPD).

A person standing in front of a poster at a conference.

Jessica Girardi from the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre attended the Botanica Futura Convention to present the COST Action CA23123 weedingMAPs. (Photo: Jessica Girardi)

Poster exhibition at a conference.
A person presenting in the front of a lecture hall.
Conference batch.
Lecture hall.

A person standing in front of a poster at a conference.
Poster exhibition at a conference.
A person presenting in the front of a lecture hall.
Conference batch.
Lecture hall.

The weed management in the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants play a central role: weeds compete for water, nutrients and light, reducing both yield and the quality of the herbal raw material, which must meet strict pharmacopoeial requirements for purity and the absence of pesticide residues and contaminants such as pyrrolizidine alkaloids. With the European Green Deal requiring a 50% reduction in chemical pesticide use by 2030, non-chemical weed control is crucial for a safe and sustainable supply chain. WeedingMAPs, active since September 2024, addresses this through an interdisciplinary, multi-actor network. Its objectives, structure and preliminary results to the sector's stakeholders were presented at the convention.

During the event, parallel workshops covered regulations for small herbal businesses, innovation in cultivation, market trends, the role of the herbalist and plants as a source of fragrances. Climate change, regulatory constraints, and research and innovation have also been addressed. In the exhibition area, 21 companies, from small short-supply-chain farms and co-operatives to industrial enterprises, showed a vibrant production sector committed to quality and professionalism. 

The event offered valuable opportunities for networking and for promoting the Action and its objectives. The organisers are already preparing the next edition, hoping to engage businesses, individuals and local authorities seeking new perspectives for an agricultural sector under pressure from the climate crisis and market uncertainty.

Further Information

Contact

Jessica Girardi, Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre (Latvia) 

Links:

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