Buzzing yields: boosting moringa productivity through pollinator-friendly cropping in India

To enhance pollination services for Moringa cultivation by integrating ecologically sound, farmer-led practices that support pollinator populations, thereby improving crop productivity, biodiversity, and livelihoods. The project aims to:

• Strengthen ecosystem services by promoting biodiversity-friendly farming practices that encourage natural pollinators, which are critical for Moringa’s flowering and fruiting success.
• Empower farmers with agroecological knowledge by involving both men and women in identifying and managing co-crops that attract and sustain pollinators, fostering inclusive participation and community ownership of pollination management.
• Design sustainable cropping systems by introducing strategically selected intercrops (e.g., chrysanthemum) and border crops (e.g., perennial redgram) that provide continuous floral resources, nesting spaces, and habitats for pollinators throughout the year.
• Build resilience in farming communities by reducing dependence on chemical inputs and enhancing pollination naturally, leading to more sustainable, climate-resilient farming systems.
• Improve crop yield and quality by increasing the frequency and effectiveness of flower visits by pollinators, thereby boosting not only the quantity but also the quality (length, girth, seed density) of Moringa fruits.
• Promote knowledge sharing and innovation through participatory field trials, capacity-building workshops, and farmer-to-farmer learning platforms that ensure the transfer and adoption of pollinator-friendly practices across communities.
• Encourage apiculture and pollinator habitat conservation by training farmers in beekeeping and in maintaining ecological niches (such as wildflower patches and hedgerows) that provide refuge and resources for a wide range of pollinating insects.

Smallholder men and women farmers cultivating Moringa.

• Participatory identification of pollinator-supportive co-crops with local farmers
• Mapping local pollinators and understanding their ecological roles
• Conducting awareness programs on pollinator importance and ecosystem services
• Planting and managing chrysanthemum (intercrop) and perennial redgram (border crop) to provide year-round floral resources

• 40% increase in pollinator visits to Moringa flowers
• Up to 30% higher Moringa yield compared to control plots
• Improved fruit quality (length, girth, seed count) by 10% over control fields
• Increased farmer knowledge and awareness of pollinators
• 60% of trained farmers adopted apiculture and habitat preservation for pollinators