Insects on a farm
Friends or foes? Our love/hate relationship with insects
Insects pollinate crops and work as natural predators in the field. Yet insects often have a negative reputation in agriculture, and billions of dollars are spent every year fighting them. The use of pesticides, a loss of habitats, the cultivation of exogenous species, all provide potential threats for insect populations: their effect is seen in, for example, the decline of bee populations. What are the implications of this for family farmers? Can they contribute to efforts to restore insect populations?
Issue 28.1 looks at these issues, focusing on the many ways in which small-scale farmers benefit from insects, and on the steps they take in order to increase these benefits.
Farming Matters | 28.1 | March 2012
Featured articles
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Agrobiodiversity @knowledgedHivos and Oxfam Novib have started a programme that aims to develop the concepts and ideas concerning agricultural biodiversity, small-scale farming, rural livelihoods and climate change. |
Managing for higher yieldsFarmers in Florida have broadened their IPM efforts by not only focusing on those species we recognise as pests, nor only on the (reduced) use of pesticides. |
“We need to convince civil society…”Later this year the world’s gaze will return to Brazil for the Rio+20 Conference. Will the event have any positive results? Jean Marc von der Weid is somewhat sceptical. |
Insect conservation in the U.K.Relatively few insect species cause damage to crops, whereas many more are beneficial predating or parasitising crop pests, pollinating crops, breaking down organic matter and acting as prey for other wildlife, especially birds. |
Table of contents:
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2 - 2Deadline: June 1st, 2012
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3 - 3written by Eunike L. KuzwaVincent Hugo is one of the members of the UWAMALE Irrigators Marketing Cooperative Society Ltd. in Lekitatu, Tanzania. Starting with 15 members in 1997, the Society now has 175 farmer members, all of whom work to maintain, rehabilitate and expand the local irrigation infrastructure.
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5 - 5written by Edith van WalsumAsk a person (a farmer, an agrochemical vendor, an extension worker or a scientist) what she thinks of the role of insects in agriculture, and you will quickly learn about that person’s perspective on agriculture and ecology.
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6 - 6Biodiversity is important for the resilience of our planet. Smallholders depend on biodiversity for their livelihoods and survival, and they are its main guardians. Farming practices which use and enhance this diversity are common, yet agriculture can also be the greatest destroyer of biodiversity. Can we add insights and evidence to the debates?
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7 - 7Farming Matters welcomes comments, ideas and suggestions from its readers. Please send an e-mail to ileia@ileia.org or write to P.O. Box 90, 6700 AB Wageningen, the Netherlands.
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8 - 9written by Luis L. Vazquez MorenoInsects can be seen as one of the components of an agro-ecosystem. Yet farming has a strong influence on the population balance between different insect species: it helps some multiply exponentially by increasing quantities of a species’ preferred or reduces their presence with the of pesticides. Alternative agricultural approaches show that farmers can manage a farm in a way that combines a stable diversity of species with yields and production levels. Insects not just “combine well” with high a larger insect population can actually help achieve these objectives.
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10 - 13written by Laura Anne SanagorskiWe tend to think of "insects" and "bugs" synonymously with words like "harmful" and "pests". However, only a very small fraction of the world’s insect population cause damage to crops or harm humans. There are far more insects that can help in some way. Farmers can use techniques to attract beneficial insects to assist with pest management and pollination – and benefit enormously.
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14 - 16written by Laura EggensInterview > Jean Marc von der Weid - Twenty years after Rio de Janeiro was the stage for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the world’s gaze returns to Brazil for the Rio+20 Conference in June this year. The sequel to this first international meeting on sustainable development may well have important implications for the future of family farmers. Jean Marc von der Weid founded and now works with AS-PTA, the Brazilian member of the AgriCultures Network. Based in Rio, they support capacity building and institutional policies in favour of family farming and agro-ecology.
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17 - 17written by John WightmanHoney bees are amazing creatures, but they are dying by the millions. John Wightman looks at our slow reaction to their disappearance, calling for someone to apply slow response thought processes so as to search for a global solutions. Quoting Einstein, if the bee disappears from the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left.
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18 - 20written by Sam AdamsOne of the ways in which farmers can protect their soils is through the use of mulch. When the soil is covered with a thick layer of organic matter, it is protected from extreme rainfall, winds or drought. Mulch also serves as a home for insects, helping attract many species which significantly improve soil texture and soil fertility.
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21 - 21written by Nicola PirasHoney is probably the first association that comes to mind when we hear the word “bee”. Humans’ appreciation of this sweet product goes back thousands of years. Yet, in a recent conversation with Elizabeth McLeod, Project Officer at Bees for Development, she reminded us of at least two aspects of bees that people often tend to forget. Firstly, bees can be an important source of income for many people, especially in developing countries. Secondly, these black and yellow striped insects are the major pollinators of flowering plants, which means that they are essential for conserving biodiversity.
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22 - 23written by Denise Melvin , Jorge Chavez-TafurIn April 2010, IFAD and FAO launched a joint programme to provide people working on poverty reduction projects, with the skills and tools required to gather and share knowledge gleaned from their projects. Different workshops in knowledge sharing techniques, writing effectively for different audiences, and systematisation were held in 2011. The last meeting was a "training of trainers" session, which specifically aimed to upscale the whole process. Participants of this workshop are now running their own knowledge management processes back home, training their colleagues.
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24 - 25written by Nawa MutumwenoSet up three years ago, the Zambia Honey Partnership (or ZHP) promotes the sustainable, social and economic growth of the country’s emerging honey industry. Known as "the platform", it seeks to represent the interests of all stakeholders. By "enhancing their commercial orientation", ZHP aims to help translate the production of honey into higher incomes for all those involved.
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26 - 27written by Marta Dabrowska , Edith van WalsumTwenty years ago, the first global conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro became a milestone, and there are high hopes that Rio+20 will be an even more significant event. In the previous issue of Farming Matters we introduced Rio+20. Since then, the complex preparations for the conference have been continuing.
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28 - 29written by Giel TonThe Empowering Smallholder Farmers in Markets (ESFIM) initiative is a farmer-driven research and policy development programme that started in June 2008. Its overall objective is to generate demand-driven action research that supports the policy activities of farmers’ organisations. By helping to create an enabling policy and regulatory environment, and more effective economic organisations and institutions, this initiative will enable smallholders to benefit more from markets.
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30 - 31The custodians of biodiversity: Sharing access to and benefits of genetic resources / Transformation and sustainability in agriculture: Connecting practice with social theory / Food systems failure: The global food crisis and the future of agriculture / The state of the world’s land and water resources for food and agriculture: Managing systems at risk / Pro-poor benefit distribution in REDD+: Who gets what and why does it matter? / Virtuous circles: Values, systems and sustainability
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32 - 33Insects are one of the many components of an agro-ecosystem. Their presence can lead to severe farm losses, yet they also make many beneficial contributions. Research and experimentation at a local level can help us identify ways to restore the balance between the different components, and so enhance ecosystem resilience - and yields.
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34 - 36written by John HollandAlthough insects are capable of causing immense damage to crops, this is largely due to the way in which we farm, creating attractive monocultures of lush crops and failing to exploit the natural regulatory mechanisms that exist. Crop damage is caused by relatively few species, whereas many more species are beneficial: parasitising crop pests, pollinating crops, or breaking down organic matter. With so many potential benefits, how can we enhance their presence?
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37 - 37written by Eric Holt-GiménezThe world's different food movements need to work together, argues Eric Holt-Giménez. The question facing them is “How can we, in all our diversity, converge to become powerful enough to transform the world’s food systems?” The answer is being forged daily, on the ground, as political alliances grow between producers, workers and consumers, and as social movements begin bridging North-South and urban-rural divides: “convergence in diversity”.
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38 - 39With the Rio+20 conference coming up, it is time to evaluate what a “green economy” really means. Is this addressed in discussions throughout the world? Is a truly "green" economy viable in different regions? What are the main barriers in different countries? Network colleagues shared some of their opinions.
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