Socioecological Factors and Farmer Perceptions Impacting Pesticide Use and Pollinator Conservation on Cucurbit Farms

Abstract

While research suggests that pollinator decline is linked with agricultural practices, it is unclear whether farmers share this view and adapt management to promote pollinators based on their understanding of these threats. To address these issues, we surveyed farmers of pollinator-dependent cucurbit crops across four states in the Midwest, USA. We grouped farmers by their perceptions of pollinator declines and routes of pesticide exposure and used statistical models to evaluate if farmers manage pests and pollinators based on these perceptions. Out of 93 completed surveys, 39% of farmers believed pollinators were in decline. When grouped, 17% of farmers were classified as proponents, ranking (on a 1–5 Likert scale) the factors mediating pesticide exposure and pollinator declines as important or highly important. For comparison, 44 and 39% of farmers were classified as neutral or skeptical, respectively, of these same factors. Compared to the neutral and skeptic groups, proponents were on average younger, had fewer years farming but more years in family farming, and were more dependent on income from outside the farming system. Proponents also on average reported smaller farms, higher pest richness, more land in cucurbit production, and greater richness of crops that are not pollinator dependent, when compared to the neutrals and skeptics. We did not find pest and pollinator management to be related to farmer perceptions of pollinator decline or routes of pesticide exposure, but farmers classified as pollinator “proponents” were more likely to indicate participation in future pollinator habitat restoration programs. Rather, management strategies were better explained by on-farm environmental conditions (e.g., pest richness, farm size, number of pollinator dependent crops) and economic factors (e.g., sources of income). Generally, our research shows that farmers who perceive pollinator threats may not be using pollinator supportive practices. Thus, while some farmers believe in pollinator declines, there remains a need to connect this knowledge with on-farm practices.

Motivating organic farmers to adopt practices that support the pest-suppressive microbiome relies on understanding their beliefs

“…Limitations in sample size ( n = 85) also influenced cluster membership, indicating a tradeoff in allowing for variation in beliefs and statistical inference. While greedier solutions increase cluster membership (Bloom et al, 2021), correlations between beliefs and practices may be obscured. More broadly, to parallel previously understood variation in the practices used on organic farms (e.g., a spectrum of conventionalization across organic farms), we suggest there also exists variation in beliefs, and allowing for this variation, while limiting in some regards (e.g., low membership groupings), promotes the untangling of correlations between beliefs and farming practice adoption.…”

“…Previously, Bloom et al (2021) found that demographics and farming system characteristics regulated practice adoption, but beliefs were linked with participation in future conservation programs on farms. Thus, we constructed simple linear models to examine if motivation to adopt a new practice that supports pest-suppressive soil microbes would depend on farmer beliefs (Table S3 Q11).…”

One for all and all for one: a review on the commonality of risk to honeybees and wild pollinators and the benefits of beekeepers in conservation

“…Another possible way beekeepers might influence changes in agricultural strategies is by indirect contact, engaging with crop-based farmers that rely on pollination services for productivity. Studies investigating farmer perception on pollinator declines and supporting management strategies found that knowledge of the threats and the willingness to enact change was related to on-farm experiences and age (Bloom et al, 2021) rather than their use of managed pollinators, and was also linked to their level of knowledge on the subject (Osterman et al, 2021). Still, no studies were found on the perception of crop farmers on the topic of pollinator conservation and their level of engagement with beekeepers, so the possibility exists that beekeepers may well be able to interact as intermediaries between farmers and wild pollinator conservation strategies, providing education to crop farmers by simple interaction.…”

Pollinator diversity, pollination services, and conservation in agroecosystems: A mini‐review on the successes and challenges in China

“…These advanced techniques can be incorporated into routine pollinator surveys to accelerate pollinator diversity research, offering deeper evolutionary insights for ecological analysis and conservation planning. Lastly, farmers, as stakeholders and landowners in agroecosystems, play important roles in pollinator conservation programs (Bloom et al, 2021); yet, their involvement has been minimal. Strengthening their engagement is crucial for a successful and cohesive pollinator protection strategy, requiring both governmental and NGO support, although a comprehensive strategy for this purpose is still lacking in China.…”