FOOTPRINT Project aims and objectives

The objective of the FOOTPRINT project was to develop a set of 3 computer tools that allow users to:

• identify the dominant pathways and sources of pesticide contamination in the agricultural landscape.
• estimate levels of pesticide concentrations in surface water and groundwater.
• make scientifically-based assessments of how the implementation of risk reduction strategies is likely to reduce pesticide contamination of water resources.

The operational goals of the project were therefore:

• to develop a suite of 3 pesticide risk assessment and management tools, for use by three different user communities:
  • farmers and extension advisors at the local (farm) scale - FOOT-FS ,
  • Water managers at the catchment scale - FOOT-CRS , and
  • Policy makers/registration authorities at the national/EU scale - FOOT-NES .
• to evaluate the usability and performance of the FOOT tools through piloting and evaluation studies at their various scales of application.