Today’s Solutions: November 22, 2024

Farmers are inherently dependent on pollinators for successful crop yields, yet getting them to adopt bee-friendly practices is more challenging in some areas than others. A new study from University of Oregon researchers found that farmers are more likely to invest in bee-friendly practices if they focus on honeybee populations, but this varies based on region.

In their study, the researchers surveyed 329 California almond growers and found that they favored growing cover crops, rather than installing permanent pollinator habitats or reducing pesticide use. This is because cover crops generally require less labor, water, and attention than other strategies.

The study also found that highlighting the honeybee and yield-boosting benefits of bee-friendly practices increased the likelihood that farmers would adopt them.

The researchers note that the popularity of different bee protection strategies varied by region, based on topography. In the wetter region of the Sacramento Valley, growers were more amenable to cover crop planting and permanent habitat investment than their counterparts in the drier southern half of California.

Study coauthor Jennie Durant emphasizes that this information should inform policymaking on conservation: “To me, it suggests a regionally sensitive conservation approach might make the most sense.”

To learn more about pollination and conservation in agriculture, check out our podcast interview with Beeflow’s pollination biologist Kristen Klitgaard.

Source study: Frontiers in Sustainable Food SystemsA Regional, Honey Bee-Centered Approach Is Needed to Incentivize Grower Adoption of Bee-Friendly Practices in the Almond Industry

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