The headline “Butterfly Populations Dropping, Agriculture to Blame” is not a new one. We know that crop protection methods have contributed not only to the decline in butterfly numbers, but other pollinators like bees and birds as well. A simple google search will tell you that globally, insect numbers are declining by 2-4% every year. The same studies that present these percentages are quick to pit agriculture and insects against each other without stepping back to take a 30,000 foot view of a complex situation.
Insecticides are Everywhere
Weeds, fungus and insects are major threats to crops and they are also undesirable to homeowners working to keep their yards manicured. Pesticides and insecticides are used to protect our food supply, but they're also used on golf courses, lawns, and gardens in urban areas. Odds are good that no matter where you live, your water supply has some trace of insecticide, the result of runoff from crops or lawns.
There isn’t a piece of heavy equipment barreling around the cul-de-sac with a huge sprayer to draw attention to the mass decimation of mosquitoes (bird and spider food), garden caterpillars, our future butterflies, and the weeds they enjoy feeding on. But, it’s happening every spring in suburbia just like it’s happening in rural America.
It’s a little more obvious on the farm when you can see the spray mist settling on the soil. And here too, like urban areas, it’s a sure fire way to be rid of pesky intruders. In the subdivision, unless you can see that your neighbor has let their yard go for the wildlife, it's a safe bet that they have treated their lawn and are spraying down their garden. If a majority of the housing development has used insecticides and converted a portion of their lawn for a patio or deck eliminating bug habitats, is it all that different than one farmer protecting several acres of crops? Neonicotinoids, the most popular insecticide, is used in crop protection and by lawn care services.
What If We Stopped Using Insecticides?
HOA regulations might look a bit different if we didn’t have insecticides. And, golfing might not be available anywhere and everywhere. Hobby gardeners would probably brew more of their own bug sprays, and kids might be more accustomed to catching bugs in the yard. They might even have a few more bug bites.
But for agriculture, fruits and vegetables would suffer. Studies show that without extra protection produce is stunted in growth and larger percentages are lost to pests. In the long run this would create a significant increase in food waste; a problem we are trying to eliminate and not add to. Less fruits and vegetables being available would mean higher prices for these items. And, it could also result in less variety as some crops would not be profitable to farm on such a large scale without an economical and effective protection option like insecticide.
Using insecticides affords agriculture at least some measure of predictability in an endeavor that is full of risk. They are part of what keeps commodity prices stable and makes sure food prices don’t skyrocket at the grocery store. Because of them we have been able to mass produce food on a small amount of land. This means a large amount of farmable land is in conservation because we don’t currently need it; conservation land that could be cultivated for butterfly or other insect habitats. If we stop using insecticides more land would be required to produce the same amount of food.
Can We Feed The World Organically?
Butterfly population studies tend to draw a line in the sand between farmers and insects rather than ask the more important question: is it possible to feed the world through only organic methods? If the trade off is to feed the people at the expense of the bugs, then feeding billions of people takes priority. But, if farmers have other reliable and accessible options at their fingertips, they’d likely be inclined to swap methods. Afterall, it's in a farmer’s best interest to look out for the pollinators. Instead of saying, let’s stop using insecticides, we could try asking, is there a better way to protect this specific crop, grown in this area, and in relation to these neighbors?
Crop rotation, flaming and natural crop covers are becoming more popular, though many farmers don’t have the information they need to transition from spraying insecticides to other practices. Or, they don’t have the equipment and infrastructure to completely transform their farming methods. Spraying for insects is a sure way to protect crops and switching approaches could affect the bottom line. Lost crops are lost dollars and an unvetted method could weaken food security.
Plus, each method has its own trade off. Some are just as effective but produce other toxic problems. Others create soil erosion. And currently, farmers are taking a closer look at the carbon footprint of their strategies. Insecticide scores pretty low compared to other options when it comes to preserving soil for future generations and efficiently producing food.
Insecticides might be overused. From farms to backyards, people are inclined to use it as an insurance policy against damaging pests. Unfortunately, the beautiful butterflies are a bug and just like their caterpillar youth. So perhaps another good question is, can we be smarter about how we use insecticide?
The solution isn’t to eliminate the use of insecticide, but instead support technological advances that offer farmers more options to spot spray and decrease drifting and over-saturated soil. And, let's find the best places to improve habitats on conservation land in proximity to migratory paths.
Whether you see value in using insecticides or disagree with their use altogether, they are currently an integral part of keeping our food supply safe. And we have to remember that it's not just farms who use them. Protecting butterflies is something that can be done in a suburban neighborhood or in rural America. Maybe bugs and farmers and suburban lawns can all coexist without completely reconfiguring efficient farming methods.
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