The PPG aims to support the development of a subsequent project proposal to create a systematic, algorithm-driven screening framework for identifying and prioritising strategies to reduce pesticide residue risks in horticultural exports. The proposed framework would analyse trade risks, pesticide residue behaviour, toxicological profiles, regulatory requirements and export exposure to identify and prioritize the most appropriate residue-mitigation strategies, including the use of biopesticides.
The PPG will also outline how the resulting project would apply this approach in practice to identify, prioritise, pilot, and validate residue-mitigation strategies under real farming conditions, helping improve compliance with pesticide residue requirements and enabling more targeted and effective interventions.
Pesticide residue non-compliance is a significant SPS and food safety challenge affecting horticultural exports from Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Exceedances of Maximum Residue Limit (MRL), and the detection of substances not approved in importing markets, have resulted in shipment rejections and increased border controls, particularly for exports to the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Australia. Between 2020 and 2025, more than 280 pesticide-residue notifications linked to the participating countries were recorded through the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), with approximately 75% resulting in border rejections. These developments have increased the "trade value at risk" for affected export sectors.
Additionally, several participating countries are subject to strict official controls in some destination markets, leading to more frequent inspections, higher testing costs and delays for perishable products. Previous STDF-supported work (STDF/PG/694) demonstrated that replacing late-season applications of synthetic pesticides with biopesticides can reduce detectable residues while maintaining effective pest control. Building on these results, the proposed PPG will explore how, a structured, data-driven methodology can systematically identify and prioritize the most suitable pesticide–biopesticide combinations across crops, pests and export markets, helping to scale up successful residue-mitigation approaches.
