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

• Published in: International journal of agricultural sustainability Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 54 - 67
• Main Authors: Christmann, Stefanie, Aw-Hassan, Aden, Güler, Yasemin, Sarisu, Hasan Cumhur, Bernard, Marc, Smaili, Moulay Chrif, Tsivelikas, Athanasios
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Taylor & Francis 02.01.2022; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Farmers; Farmers' knowledge; Farming; Farming with Alternative Pollinators (FAP); incentive; Income; Low income groups; motivation; Pollinators; Poultry farming; Reinforcement; scalable; Small farms; Morocco
• ISSN: 1473-5903; 1747-762X
• DOI: 10.1080/14735903.2021.1916254

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 low- and 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.