The Bee Urban Growers (BUG) Project: Bringing accessible pollinator management practices and education to urban farming communities

Sustainable habitat management is essential to conserve beneficial insect communities that provide ecosystem services such as pollination on farms. However, most crop pollination research and outreach has been focused on rural farming communities. Urban agriculture has been vital to increasing food sovereignty by giving access to fresh unprocessed food to underserved communities within cities. The Bee Urban Growers (BUG) Project was established to promote pollinator conservation and to support small-scale, urban farmers through outreach and education. By utilizing research and outreach methods, the BUG Project has worked directly with urban farmers throughout Michigan, USA to improve their on-farm pollinator habitat and understanding of pollinator management practices. In spring 2024, the BUG Project partnered with nine urban farms to establish on-farm native wildflower plantings. In addition to providing pollinator habitat, these plantings have acted as hubs for community engagement and learning. In this presentation, we discuss how using pollinator habitat and a combination of participatory methods such as on-farm research, community outreach and extension, and educational resources can help integrate sustainable insect management into urban farming communities. We also discuss the importance of relationship-building and community involvement when engaging with urban farming communities to effectively conduct pollinator research and communicate findings.