Today’s Solutions: November 21, 2024

Though it may look like a normal hothouse that grows vegetables, the Savéol experimental greenhouse in Brittany boasts a very different kind of crop — insects. The goal? To breed plant-friendly invertebrates that can enable farmers to produce pesticide-free tomatoes.

From bumblebees to wasps and bugs, the unique insect ‘nursery’ is home to a variety of different insects, all on a mission to get rid of pests during the farming process and help encourage pollination.

The greenhouse is located at a farm belonging to France’s largest tomato producer, the Savéol cooperative. The farm works with 126 producers and is known for its pesticide-free crops, the demand for which has grown in recent years as consumers have become increasingly aware of the impact of these noxious chemicals on the health of people and the planet.

Though the bug farm has been operating for almost 40 years, Savéol is the only European producer today to have integrated the production of auxiliary insects. These helpful bugs can control crop-harming pests such as whiteflies, and the bumblebees ensure effective pollination in a process that’s purely organic. In addition to using the insects in their own operations, the farm sells 100 million insects to over 120 farmers each year to support pesticide-free planting around the country.

Overall, the use of crop-beneficial insects by French farmers has grown significantly, with regulators approving 330 species as plant pest treatments earlier this year, up from 257 in 2015, reports Euronews. With demand increasing, Savéol is now planning to add 1,200 square meters to their insect farm in 2021.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Changemakers of the week: GRuB and SparkNJ

Every day on the Optimist Daily, we report on solutions from around the world. Though we love solutions big and small, the ones that ...

Read More

The giant beneath the waves: world’s largest coral found in the Pacific

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In a world where bad news about the environment routinely outweighs good news, scientists have discovered an incredible ...

Read More

Tortoise discovered in a home in Pompeii

Almost 2000 years after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and its trapping of the city of Pompeii in time, archaeologists are still making discoveries ...

Read More

Revel at the most detailed image of our universe yet

Here at The Optimist Daily, we have been sharing every exciting step of the James Webb Telescope’s journey, from its long-awaited launch, to when ...

Read More