Linking entomologists, microbial ecologists, and farmer pest management decisions through social science and econometric analysis

Promoting sustainable pest management across farming systems remains one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. Farmers implement varied pest management across space and time. These management practices have ecological outcomes that are mediated by farmer beliefs, societal, environmental, and economic contexts. Therefore, promoting sustainable pest management requires transdisciplinary collaboration. In 2021, we assembled a network of 85 organic farmers, 20 extension personnel, and 4 researchers to develop a new management approach: soil microbiome-mediated insect pest suppression. Together, we deployed a statewide microbiome questionnaire, conducted soil sampling, sequenced soil microbial communities, and leveraged bioassays to link microbiomes with pest suppression using a model herbivore (Acyrthosiphon pisum). Most organic farmers (≈96%) believed the soil microbiome was important for reducing pests, and ≈42% believed on-farm management and external factors (e.g., climate change) were important for promoting the microbiome. These farmers adopted practices (e.g., no tillage) that promoted microbiomes positively correlated with plant defense hormones (jasmonic acid) and reduced A. pisum reproduction. Leveraging these patterns, we are using an econometric choice experiment to elicit preferences for four key microbiome conservation measures linked with farmer beliefs. Farmer stakeholders will make choices before and after receiving a summary of pest suppression specific to their microbiome, thereby yielding a behavioral pathway to promote statewide adoption of microbiome mediated pest suppression. While nascent, we suggest our collaborative project studying microbiomes that induce plant resistance and regulate insect herbivores offers a novel generalizable approach to explore the mechanisms mediating the adoption of sustainable farming practices at scale.