Insects are often overlooked when it comes to wildlife. But, beyond mammals large and small, birds and fish, insects are the dominant type of wild animals on Earth. Insects are 75% of all animal species currently named and described by science.
During the Devonian Period, 400 million years ago, insects were among the first animals to invade land and consume terrestrial plants as food resources. This close-knit relationship between plants and insects has been critical for their co-evolution, as it is now for agriculture.
As wild animals, insects can be beneficial for farming and are a key component of agroecological systems. The three main types of beneficial insects are pollinators, predators, and parasites.
Pollinators fertilize flowers, increasing the productivity of crops. Predators are nature’s pest control, as they reduce the number of insects that damage food crops or hinder their growth. And parasites rely on pests to nurse their young, also aiding to control their population. Some insects can fulfill two or three of these roles, making them important players for the health and yield of farms.
Sustainable farming practices support beneficial insect populations. These include:
- Hedgerows, fencerows, and windbreaks, which provide shelter, food, and breeding sites. This promotes pollination, reduction of soil erosion, and natural pest control for farms.
- Crop residue left on a field after harvest can be incorporated into the soil through conventional tilling or be mostly kept on the surface through no-till and conservation till practices.
Through our Ecoasis signature program, we aim to increase the use of beneficial insects in farms by empowering farmers to become effective decision-makers in growing healthy crops.
We design integrated multi-functional areas to promote habitat restoration for pollinators, beneficial insects and empower producers to become effective decision-makers in growing healthy crops, managing pests sustainably and creating agroecological farms.
We have used this approach to run a pilot on biodiversity, good practices, integrated pest management (IPM) in Malaysia, funded by Ferrero, to develop recommendations for advanced IPM and biodiversity conservation practices based on beneficial organisms and low-risk pesticides tailored to Malaysia's palm oil production.
Learn more about the work SAN is doing to protect insect wildlife and its role in global food systems.
