OPERACIÓ POL·LINITZADORS

theguardian.com

A Swiss pesticide company's plan to bring back the bees

Ara, una nova iniciativa de Syngenta, una agroindústria de Suïssa i el major fabricant del món de productes químics dels cultius, té com a objectiu augmentar el nombre d'insectes pol·linitzadors, especialment abelles, en les granges comercials dels EUA. El projecte, anomenat Operació pol·linitzadors, vol fer crèixer flors i plantes variades en el que es coneix com a "terra marginal", de les grans parcel·les dels cultius comercials. Aquestes àrees venen a representar entre una i dues hectàrees per parcel·la.
 
La iniciativa per atraure els insectes pol·linitzadors es va originar al Regne Unit fa més d'una dècada. Des de llavors s'ha expandit a més de 16 països d'Europa, amb més de 3.000 agricultors...

article original....

Scientists have been baffled by the mass die-off of honeybees that has destroyed around 10m beehives since 2007. The causes of this so-called “Colony Collapse Disorder” are still unknown, although pesticides, fungicides, stress, poor nutrition and parasites are some of the possible causes being discussed. The collapse has sometimes taken on an almost sci-fi quality. For example, honeybees mysteriously disappear from their hives. Stranger still, their bodies are seldom found. 

The crisis among these creatures has scientists worried. Bees are a crucial part of the crop cycle, the pollination of several species of flowers and, of course, a vital source of breakfast honey. Now, a new initiative from Syngenta, a Swiss agribusiness and the world’s largest manufacturer of crop chemicals, aims to boost the number of pollinating insects, especially bees, on commercial farms in the US. The project, called Operation Pollinator, will grow flowers and plants on what’s known as “marginal ground”, the thin strips and edges that border large plots of commercial farmland. These areas usually total about one or two acres per plot.

“We focus on ground that might not be as productive as other areas on the farm,” says Caydee Savinelli, entomologist and Pollinator Stewardship lead for the project. Savinelli explains that the plan is to let nature take its own course, filling the plots with wildflowers. Ultimately, this results in areas that resemble undeveloped meadows.

The initiative to attract pollinating insects originated in the UK over a decade ago. It has since expanded to more than 16 countries in Europe, with more than 3,000 farmers and other agriculturalists are participating in it today.

Bringing bees to the US

Operation Pollinator began its research phase in the US in 2010. Syngenta, working with the University of California at Davis, Michigan State and the University of Florida, is currently assessing the scope of the project. They still need to determine which flowers are best suited to attract native insects, what the ideal seed mixtures are, how much the program will cost and what the maintenance schedule should be.

“The research and data collection is fairly intense,” says Savinelli, noting that the program is attempting to match the native insects to their ideal food sources. “We’re looking at which insects are there at which time of the year and which flowers attract them.”

Operation Pollinator already has been implemented on the marginal ground of more than 50 golf courses across 20 states. Now, Syngenta is turning its attention to commercial farms. It will launch five plots this year in northwest Mississippi, in partnership with the Delta Farmers Advocating Resource Management (Delta FARM), an association that aims to conserve and restore the environment.

A solution to multiple problems

It isn’t hard to see why these farms and golf courses are willing to partner with Operation Pollinator. In addition to its work with insect populations and plant pollination, the program may also help combat other worrisome agricultural trends, including erosion and water pollution.

Generally, erosion occurs when farmers break up and turn the soil on a field. This process, known in the industry as “tillage”, can help with weed control and is necessary for growing crops. Unfortunately, it can also weaken the soil, causing it to wash away during heavy rains.

Plants grown on the perimeter of a field – such as the artificial meadows that Operation Pollinator is creating – can help to prevent this erosion, and may also improve water quality. The water used on the crops may be tainted with pesticides and fungicides, and these border plants can help prevent the water from running off the land into nearby drains and streams.

“We’re shooting for the triple win – improve biodiversity, mitigate soil erosion and improve water quality,” says Jeff Peters, Syngenta’s digital farming lead.

Ultimately, the farmers will take over the individual plots. The goal in all these initiatives is to train the farmers so that they can maintain the pollinating meadows on their own. Syngenta says the program is a good way to build community, by attracting anyone with an interest or expertise in insects or gardening, including master gardeners and students from local schools.

“You get tired of planting grass and now they can plant flowers,” Savinelli said. “[Golf club] members love it because they see from when they first planted to when it starts flowering.”

Difficulties – and benefits

There are, of course, challenges, including the availability of seed, the knowledge of local producers – which will depend on their engagement with the project – and cost.

Experts tend to agree that pollinator projects like Syngenta’s can be one of the most effective ways to re-populate declining bee numbers. “The bottom line is that as far as pollination ecologists know at present, restoring flowers has stronger positive effects on wild bees than do other possible interventions,” says Rachael Winfree, associate professor in the ecology, evolution and natural resources department at Rutgers University.

Winfree’s own studies have compared wild bee populations in different habitats and found that so-called “floral restorations” have produced 1.7 times as many bee species and three times as many bee individuals than nearby semi-natural areas. But she cautions that it’s still unknown whether the floral strips are simply attracting bees from elsewhere or generating more on their own.

A mixed history

While Syngenta appears eager to contribute positively to restoring bee populations, the company has also recently come under fierce criticism for its role in manufacturing a key pesticide that has been linked to the bee decline.

According to a Harvard study published in May, pesticides known as neonicotinoids might lead to “impairment of honey bee neurological functions, specifically memory, cognition, or behavior”. The chemicals were given a three-year ban by the European Union in 2013, but last month Syngenta sought an emergency exemption to use the seed treatment on its UK crop. Earlier this month, the company withdrew its application after failing to get government approval to use the pesticide on 180,000 hectares of crops.

Despite the studies and the on-going ban in Europe, Syngenta claims neonicotinoids don’t do any lasting harm to crops or bees. “The scientific evidence clearly shows that bees and other pollinators can coexist safely with neonicotinoid insecticides, when product labels are followed,” says Ann Bryan, a Syngenta spokesperson.

Bryan adds that in the US, where the pesticide hasn’t yet been banned, neonicotinoid products are used on more than 90% of all corn seed planted and “play a vital role in modern agriculture”. However, a recent report from the British government cast doubt on bee research that is sponsored by pesticide producers like Syngenta and called for more independent studies.

There is no direct link between Operation Pollinator and Syngenta’s pesticide problems: Operation Pollinator has been in effect for a decade, while the company’s pesticide problems are a far more recent development. But, taken as a whole, the two projects demonstrate the high stakes – and high costs – underlying the relationship between bees and agriculture.

Font: theguardian.com