by Angie Lavezzo, CFSA Communications Coordinator | Thursday, April 14, 2022 –
There are many good reasons to encourage pollinators on our farms and gardens. Without stewarding pollinators and insects as a whole, we cannot truly participate in a sustainable growing system. Supporting pollinators is the very definition of a mutually beneficial relationship. We help them survive, and they help increase our crop yields due to their handy pollination. Without them, our jobs would be a lot more difficult.
To attract and keep pollinators in our environment, we need to provide three basic needs: food in the form of plants, a place to raise their young, and a water source to sustain them. Encouraging pollinators gives us more than just added beauty. Who doesn’t love watching a butterfly flit from bloom to bloom?
Inspired by the 25th anniversary of the Piedmont Farm Tour, which happens annually during Earth Day weekend, we’ve compiled a list of 25 ways to help our pollinator friends survive and thrive.