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SPRINT is a 5-year (2020-2025) European research project that assessed the impacts of pesticides on the environment and human health. Its aim was to accelerate the transition towards more sustainable plant protection. In total, 29 institutions participated in the SPRINT project, including FAO.

The main research topics of the SPRINT project were to: 

• monitor pesticide concentrations in humans, animals and different parts of the environment;
• assess effects of pesticide mixtures on humans, animals and ecosystems;
• develop a health risk assessment toolbox;
• evaluate different pesticide exposure pathways of humans and the environment;
• conduct cost-benefit analyses of pesticide use in different farming scenarios;
• explore transition pathways towards more sustainable plant protection.

FAO’s main interest in the project was to see whether new insights and methods for pesticide risk assessment could be applied in pesticide registration in its member countries. 

Read more about SPRINT, the SPRINT Toolbox and its relation with the Pesticide Registration Toolkit in our Special Topic