Enhancing knowledge among smallholders on pollinators and supporting field margins for sustainable food security

Elisante, Filemon; Ndakidemi, Patrick A.; Arnold, Sarah E. J.; Belmain, Steven R.; Gurr, Geoff M.; Darbyshire, Iain; Xie, Gang; Tumbo, Julie; Stevenson, Philip C.

doi:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2019.07.004

Cited by 26 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 103 publications

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“…However, as nearly 50% of potential pollinating species sampled even from the centre of the field showed fluorescent dye marks consistent with use of the margins, our study highlights that the margin vegetation is providing benefits to these insects. Plant species such as Ageratum conyzoides , Commelina foliacea , Desmodium intortum , Morus australis and Tithonia diversifolia were commonly sampled in the field margins of the study site ( Elisante et al, 2019 ). This study also revealed a high diversity of insects across all three zones suggesting that pollination service necessary for bean yield may not be limited in bean agri-system due to a high abundance and diversity pollinating insects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Insect pollination is important in a smallholder bean farming system

Elisante

Ndakidemi

Arnold

et al. 2020

PeerJ

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Background Many crops are dependent on pollination by insects. Habitat management in agricultural landscapes can support pollinator services and even augment crop production. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important legume for the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in many low-income countries, particularly so in East Africa. While this crop is autogamous, it is frequently visited by pollinating insects that could improve yields. However, the value of pollination services to common beans (Kariasii) yield is not known. Methods We carried out pollinator-exclusion experiments to determine the contribution of insect pollinators to bean yields. We also carried out a fluorescent-dye experiment to evaluate the role of field margins as refuge for flower-visitors. Results Significantly higher yields, based on pods per plant and seeds per pod, were recorded from open-pollinated and hand-pollinated flowers compared to plants from which pollinators had been excluded indicating that flower visitors contribute significantly to bean yields. Similarly, open and hand-pollinated plants recorded the highest mean seed weight. Extrapolation of yield data to field scale indicated a potential increase per hectare from 681 kg in self-pollinated beans to 1,478 kg in open-pollinated beans indicating that flower visitors contributed significantly to crop yield of beans. Our marking study indicated that flower-visiting insects including bees, flies and lepidopterans moved from the field margin flowers into the bean crop. Overall, these results show that insect pollinators are important for optimising bean yields and an important food security consideration on smallholder farms. Field margin vegetation also provides habitat for flower-visiting insects that pollinate beans. Hence, non-crop habitats merit further research focusing on establishing which field margin species are most important and their capacity to support other ecosystem services such as natural pest regulation or even pests.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, farmers need to understand such services as necessary for them to maximise yields and recognize the importance of managing agricultural biodiversity in their farmlands. This is currently a limiting factor as many farmers are knowledge-poor about beneficial invertebrates ( Elisante et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insect pollination is important in a smallholder bean farming system

Elisante

Ndakidemi

Arnold

et al. 2020

PeerJ

Self Cite

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“…In HIC, higher education levels can be aligned with more knowledge and awareness on pollinators and even more willingness to protect pollinators (Ahnström et al, 2009;Hevia et al, 2020;Mwebaze et al, 2018). In LIC and MIC, farmers' knowledge about pollinators differs a lot from country to country and from region to region within countries, farmers are often not able to recognize wild pollinators as pollinators or leastwise as beneficial (Ali et al, 2020;Elisante et al, 2019;Frimpong-Anin et al, 2013;Hall & Martins, 2020;Kasina et al, 2009;Munyuli, 2011;Rawluk & Saunders, 2019;Smith et al, 2017;Tarakini et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two enabling factors for farmer-driven pollinator protection in low- and middle-income countries

Christmann¹,

Aw‐Hassan²,

Güler

et al. 2021

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability

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Reward-based wildflower strips are the most common approach for pollinator protection in high-income countries. Low-and middle-income countries cannot afford this practice. A promising pilot study in Uzbekistan introduced an alternative approach, Farming with Alternative Pollinators, focusing on farmers as target group, marketable habitat enhancement plants and a method-inherent incentive: higher income per surface achieved already in the first year. We hypothesized that higher income would be a replicable enabling factor across continents, but a knowledge-raising campaign would be necessary in many low-and middle-income countries. We assessed the replicability of the incentive with a small number of farmers in 2015-2016 in Morocco but focused on assessing if farmers have sufficient knowledge to recognize wild pollinators and use this approach. We conducted 766 interviews using a standardized questionnaire with randomly selected smallholder farmers in three culturally different farming societies of lowand middle-income countries (Morocco, Turkey and Benin). Farming with Alternative Pollinators induced higher income (75% (2015), 177% (2016)) also in Morocco. The trial and the survey show the indispensability of a knowledge-raising campaign as the second enabling factor. However, based on capacity building, Farming with Alternative Pollinators could have indeed high potential to promote pollinator protection in low-and middle-income countries.

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“…The study sites were located at three elevations in the Kilimanjaro region of northern Tanzania within the Moshi rural district. The three zones were classified based on elevation, with the low zone defined as between 800 to 1000 m a.s.l, the mid zone between 1000 to 1500 m a.s.l and the high zone between 1500 to 1800 m a.s.l [20]. Five smallholder bean farms were selected at each elevation (farms were approximately 4100 m 2 at low and mid elevation zones and 1100 m 2 at the high elevation zone) and GPS coordinates for each site were recorded (Table S1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Hymenopteran Parasitoids of Aphis fabae in An African Smallholder Bean Farming System Through Sequencing of COI ‘Mini-barcodes’

Mkenda

Ndakidemi

Stevenson

et al. 2019

Insects

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Parasitoids are among the most frequently reported natural enemies of insect pests, particularly aphids. The efficacy of parasitoids as biocontrol agents is influenced by biotic and abiotic factors. For example, hyperparasitoids can reduce the abundance of the primary parasitoids as well as modify their behavior. A field study was conducted at three contrasting elevations on Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, to identify the parasitoids of aphids in smallholder bean farming agroecosystems. Sentinel aphids (Aphis fabae) on potted bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris) were exposed in 15 bean fields at three elevations for 2 days. The sentinel aphids were then kept in cages in a greenhouse until emergence of the parasitoids, which were collected and preserved in 98% ethanol for identification. Of the 214 parasitoids that emerged from sentinel aphids, the greatest abundance (44.86%) were from those placed at intermediate elevations (1000–1500 m a.s.l), compared to 42.52% from the lowest elevations and only 12.62% from the highest elevation farms. Morphological identification of the parasitoids that emerged from parasitized aphids showed that 90% were Aphidius species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae). Further characterization by sequencing DNA ‘mini-barcodes’ identified parasitoids with ≥99% sequence similarity to Aphidius colemani, 94–95% sequence similarity to Pachyneuron aphidis and 90% similarity to a Charipinae sp. in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database. These results confidently identified A. colemani as the dominant primary aphid parasitoid of A. fabae in the study area. A Pachyneuron sp., which was most closely related to P. aphidis, and a Charipinae sp. occurred as hyperparasitoids. Thus, interventions to improve landscapes and farming practice should monitor specifically how to augment populations of A. colemani, to ensure any changes enhance the delivery of natural pest regulation. Further studies are needed for continuous monitoring of the hyperparasitism levels and the dynamics of aphids, primary parasitoids, and secondary parasitoids in different cropping seasons and their implications in aphid control.

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Enhancing knowledge among smallholders on pollinators and supporting field margins for sustainable food security

Cited by 26 publications

References 103 publications

Insect pollination is important in a smallholder bean farming system

Insect pollination is important in a smallholder bean farming system

Two enabling factors for farmer-driven pollinator protection in low- and middle-income countries

Characterization of Hymenopteran Parasitoids of Aphis fabae in An African Smallholder Bean Farming System Through Sequencing of COI ‘Mini-barcodes’

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