The role of perception and resources in urban pollinator management

Urban agriculture is an increasingly important pathway towards food sovereignty, but it has unique obstacles. For instance, the reduction in neighboring natural habitat can negatively impact pollinator populations. While some growers can utilize honey bees (Apis mellifera) for pollination, many cities restrict or prohibit this. Additionally, there are ecological and production-related concerns with relying on a single species for pollination. Therefore, sustainable urban agriculture may require a greater emphasis on supporting wild crop pollinators through on-farm management. Yet, the implementation of management methods can be impacted by how dependent growers are on pollinators given the crops that they grow as well as their perception, motivation, demography, and access to farm/educational resources. We used a social survey to investigate the influence of these variables on the incorporation of eight on-farm pollinator management strategies. After being distributed online and at numerous outreach events, the survey was completed by 84 participants. Results showed that grower pollinator dependency did not influence decision-making for any management strategies. Instead, decisions were shaped most frequently by perception, like knowledge of pollinators and confusion on best practice, and the use or access to educational resources. This suggests that 1) growers may be uncertain about how to use management methods to promote pollinators and/or which crops pollinators are most important for, and 2) educational resources have the power to better inform this decision-making process. Thus, there is a need for more accessible educational materials to bridge the gap between farm management, pollinator conservation, and crop yield.