"Eco-sustainable set-aside to safeguard honeybees and wild pollinating insects in the agronomic ecosystem of Italy: the Rural development Program in Umbria"

Pollinating insects are crucial for many natural habitats and the production of a majority of food crops. More than 80% of European crop types depend directly on them, including many fruit and vegetables. The value of pollinating insects to the European economy is put at EUR 5 billion annually, whilst it is estimated that they are worth EUR 150 billion to global eco-systems every year. Good pollination is essential in order to obtain and high vegetables and animal biodiversity in different region. For these reasons the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences of University in Perugia and Syngenta Crop Protection S.p.A. carried out a project to verify the possibility to provide adequate pasture for the wild insects and for the honeybees to safeguard the vegetal biodiversity and to increase the population of pollinating insect in different part of Umbria Region by sowing strips of land “Reasoned Set aside” place near intensive crop. In order to evaluate the effects of the different essences used, trials were carried out from 2007 to 2009 in 4 different areas of Umbria Region. In the autumn 2007, in three of the four areas, on a margin of the field has been sown: Lotus corniculatus (Bird's foot trefoil), Trifolium repens (White clover), Trifolium pratense (Red clover), Honobrychis viciifolia (Sainfoin) e Medicago sativa cv. Casalina (Alfalfa) and at the end of the strips Brassica napus oleifera (Oil seed rape). The evaluation done were: 1) attractivity for the pollinator insects; 2) flowering period to provide food for the insects; 3) monitoring the increment of pollinator insects from 2007 to 2009; 4) monitoring the weekly death rate in the honeybees population (Apis mellifera ligustica (Spin.)) with Underbasket devices. During this study (2007-2009), it has been observed an annual increment of pollinating insects and the weekly death rate of the honeybees has been always less than 150 worker hony bees / week. Moreover, it has been observed a big increment of other insects (butterfly and Vespidae) and also birds (not migratory, migratory and granivorous). Different species have been very actractive for honeybees and other insects (in term of seeds production) and these strips can guarantee the safeguarding of the pollinator insects important for biodiversity and environmental aspects. Thanks to these results and others obtained in different European countries, on July, 15th 2009, Syngenta announced the roll-out of a 5-year EUR 1 million program to provide essential habitat and food sources for pollinating insects across Europe. “Operation Pollinator” aims to boost the numbers of native pollinating insects across seven European countries: Italy, Spain, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Hungary.