On 7/20/23 our staff presented at the “Out of the Woods” free webinar series by the Future Generations Appalachian Program. AmeriCorps Member Danny Helmick discussed the relationship between pollinators and agroforestry. Watch the presentation or read the transcript below. The webinar also included a general introduction to AFNHA (starts at 1:20) and a discussion of community gardens (at 32:00).
With increased demand for food as population increases, the need for farmland and crop productivity rises and will continue to do so. Just as the need for pollinators and habitat growth continually rises.
What is agroforestry? Agroforestry is a term for land-use systems and technologies where woody perennials are used on the same land-management as agricultural crops and/or animals.
Knowing that agroforestry was effectively used for quite some time, why is this now becoming more popular? Because there are many benefits from the practice itself, but countries were focused more on mass food production rather than the overall environmental health of all habitats.
How is this affecting the forest? Agroforestry contributes to the mitigation of climate change. And this of course, affects our forests. Agroforestry captures and stores carbon in biomass and soils, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and avoids emissions through reduced fossil fuel and energy usage on farms.
What are other benefits of Agroforestry? It protects soil, animals, crops, and homes from extreme weather. It may help improve water quality. It also helps produce many useful wood products.
Why would this be important to pollinators? Mass agroforestry provides a diverse habitat for pollinators. This is good because a diverse habitat attracts different varieties of pollinators. This has also been proven to mitigate the number of pesticides that pollinators are exposed to in their day to day lives. Agroforestry also increases foraging, nesting, and egg-laying sites.
Who are the pollinators? Anytime the word “pollinators” is mentioned, we often think of insects such as the honeybee or butterfly. While those are indeed pollinators, there are other insects that are just as important for pollination. Birds, bats, just about every insect, and quite a few mammals are pollinators. Even humans can pollinate!
Agroforestry can help pollinators by planting the right trees that are beneficial to soil and crop health. Most importantly trees that bloom. A few trees that are great for agroforestry and pollination are Southern Crabapple (Malus angustifolia), Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida), and Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum). See our Garden Resources page for other plants that are good for attracting pollinators.
If you or anyone else you know would like to participate in our mission, then please reach out to us! We give out seed packets that contain native West Virginia wildflower seeds.
