While farm landscapes often lack the diversity and abundance of flowers that pollinators require, research has shown this trend can be reversed. To support pollinator communities within agricultural land, wildflower field margins provide a range of foraging habitats, with diverse, pollen and nectar-rich nutrition, as well as adequate nesting and breeding areas.As part of our commitment to enhance biodiversity on 5 million hectares of farmland through The Good Growth Plan, we're expanding our global efforts to support pollinators and other wildlife. In the United States, we're partnering with Delta F.A.R.M., an association of growers and landowners in northwestern Mississippi dedicated to conserving and enhancing wildlife and natural resources.

Our partnership with Delta F.A.R.M. is an expansion of Operation Pollinator, our global biodiversity initiative that started in Europe more than 12 years ago. It is the first time Operation Pollinator in the United States has included habitat creation alongside farmland. Habitat creation for pollinators has been proven by independent monitoring to increase bumblebee numbers by up to 600% in specific instances, butterfly numbers up 12-fold and other insects more than 10-fold within three years. Because pollinator species and their needs vary from country to country, the Operation Pollinator team tailors wildflower seed mixes to create habitats to suit local conditions and native species. “Whatever the crop, we can design and develop a habitat to suit the soil type, the climatic conditions and, most critically of all, the pollinator species that are vital for it.” says Geoff Coates, Senior Agronomist for Sustainable Agriculture and Stewardship at Syngenta.

As part of the partnership, Syngenta will support Delta F.A.R.M. with grower training, seed choice and agronomic support to selected local farmers in Northwest Mississippi. Delta F.A.R.M. will also assess the effectiveness of the additional foraging habitat and nesting sites on marginal land or nonproductive farm areas. In addition to restoring vital populations of pollinating insects, these wildflower margins create habitats for small mammals and farmland birds. With careful site planning and management, Operation Pollinator also can play a valuable role in reducing soil erosion and helping protect valuable water resources.