We are pleased to invite you to the IMPOCHA seminar that will take place on Wednesday 18^th of September 2024. This online event is related to the IMPOCHA project [2], funded by the Belgian Science Policy (BELSPO). Within the project, Sciensano was involved in the assessment of the pesticide exposure of potato farmers and their families and performed a risk assessment. 

Intensive potato production is a major source of fungicide spread in the agricultural environment, with potential harmful effects on the soil microbiome, as well as potential exposure of farmers and nearby rural populations. The IMPOCHA project aims to look into fungicides’ impact on human health, and to assess whether climate change conditions modify microbiome in soil samples collected from potato fields with contrasted cropping methods.

Program

10:00    Welcome and introduction | Eva De Clercq, Sciensano

10:10    Farming potato crops : the role of climate, microbiome diversity and health  — the IMPOCHA project | François Serneels, CARAH

10:25    Dynamics of soil microbiome under different climate conditions | Maxime Bonnave, CARAH

10:55    Soil microbiome and potato health | Angelique De Wet, University of Pretoria (SA)

11:25    Health risks for potato farmers in Belgium and China | Merel Van der Meer and Laure Joly, Sciensano

11:55    Conclusions and perspectives | Eva De Clercq, Sciensano

Registration

Register for the event! [3]