How messy croplands help farmers and pollinators

The role of marginal areas in agricultural productivity

Paul Galpern, PhD, an associate professor in the department of biological sciences at the University of Calgary, has spent the last ten years studying the impact of marginal areas on crop production.

“We’ve been thinking about pollinators and other beneficial insects in agricultural landscapes in the prairies since about 2014, and we’ve done quite a lot of different things in those ten years, and we’re still at it,” says Galpern.

Through his research, Galpern has discovered that messy areas in cropland may benefit farmers by providing habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects, among other important ecosystem services. Bees and beetles, among other insects, can move into the field and provide pollination or pest control; this is called spillover.

A “halo” effect of messy areas for beneficial insects

Galpern’s spillover concept has practical implications for farmers: it shows how areas without crops can act as sources of beneficial insects that can potentially enhance crop quality. He describes this as a cauldron bubbling over, where beneficial organisms spill over from the messy, non-crop areas into the neighbouring crop fields.

Beyond the spillover, Galpern set out to find tangible evidence of improved crop quality in these messy areas, and sure enough, he did.

Using satellite imagery, insurance data, and data collected from farm equipment, Galpern and his team discovered that crop yields peak within a certain distance of non-crop areas before tapering off. Galpern and his team have termed these “halos.”

Although there is no direct evidence as to what causes halos and related yield bumps, they have ideas.

“We’ve got a number of solid hypotheses. We have some evidence to support those hypotheses, and we have pretty good evidence that we have halos across different types of fields,” says Galpern.

What does Galpern know for sure? Messy areas are a win. “Making more mess is a win for food, a win for farmers, a win for habitat, and a win for the climate,” he says.

These areas are just one example of how farmers are supporting pollinator populations. Programs like DUC’s Marginal Areas Program (MAP) help us work alongside producers to bring more profitability to marginal areas on a farm and the bottom line.

“MAP provides a financial solution to unproductive cropland by seeding perennial forages,” says Graydon Garner, a DUC agriculture programs specialist in Alberta. “These forages improve profitability, increase pollinator habitat and promote biodiversity.”

Messy areas not only support pollinators but also have the potential to boost crop yields and bring economic benefits to the farm gate. By valuing the untamed parts of our landscapes, we can create a more sustainable and profitable agricultural system that benefits both pollinators and farmers.

What’s good for the goose is good for the… bumblebee?

Now-retired DUC researcher, Jim Devries, joined forces with Paul Galpern and University of Calgary colleague, Abigail Cohen, to study how bumblebees use pothole wetlands as habitat in croplands. Their 2024 scientific paper found that areas near wetlands had higher numbers of bumblebees overall, and that wetland edges, in particular, had higher numbers of bumblebees during different times of the growing season. This research shows that bumblebees likely use wetland edges as nesting and foraging areas (similar to ducks!), and also highlights the importance of pothole wetlands in supporting not just ducks and other birds, but all biodiversity in agricultural landscapes.