3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
GSB 550, 116 st 89 ave, 515 general ser, edmonton Alberta
Title: Quantifying farmer awareness and knowledge of beneficial insects in Alberta crop fields (joint with Dr. Haley Catton, Lethbridge RDC, AAFC)
Speaker: Dr. Emma C. Stephens, Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada
Date: Thursday, April 18, 2024
Time: 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Location: GSB 550
Abstract: Beneficial insects can be successfully incorporated into the pest management plans of Alberta farmers, but only if farmers are sufficiently aware of and confident in how beneficial insects perform alongside other, more conventional pest management tools. However, very little research is available that directly documents farmer awareness of beneficial insects, either in Alberta or elsewhere in the world.
This project fills a research gap with primary data collected from farmers themselves on their self-reported knowledge with farmer survey data from 353 field crop producers from across Alberta. We found very little awareness overall amongst survey respondents asked about seven beneficial insects commonly found in Alberta crop fields, with the exception of knowledge of lady beetles. Limited dependent variable regressions highlighted that variation in accessed information sources and agronomy training can partially explain variation in farmer awareness. The results can be used to more effectively channel information to field crop producers about beneficial insects through these different pest management information sources.
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