Syngenta Canada has teamed up with Cavendish Farms to create two extensive pollinator habitats on Prince Edward Island.
These habitats aim to boost bee health and illustrate how creating such environments enhances farm biodiversity and supports sustainable agriculture. This initiative builds on Cavendish Farms’ “The Bee Project” and is backed by Syngenta’s Operation Pollinator, a global biodiversity program dedicated to research and partnerships that promote the health and well-being of bees and other pollinators.
“We’re proud to collaborate with Cavendish Farms to foster healthy pollinator populations and help raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity,” says Mike Buttenham, sustainability manager with Syngenta Canada.
In July 2023, two 10-acre Operation Pollinator plots were established at the Cavendish Farms Research Centre in New Annan and its Freetown site. These plots were sown with a mix of pollinator-friendly seeds, including various types of clover, birdsfoot trefoil, groundbreaker radish, phacelia, and timothy. This diverse mix ensures a continuous food source for pollinators, with plants flowering from spring through fall. Farms offer significant potential to create essential habitats and food sources for a variety of bees and other pollinating insects.
“At Cavendish Farms, we are proud of our efforts to protect the environment and deliver value from the farm to the table,” says Robert K. Irving, president of Cavendish Farms. “Creating pollinator plots can help improve crop yields and is a great example of how we are working with our growing partners on P.E.I. to try new and innovative ways to care for the soil and support sustainable agriculture.”
Building on the success of the 2023 initiative, Cavendish Farms plans to plant additional acres of habitat on the Island this year.
This is Syngenta’s second Operation Pollinator initiative in P.E.I. In 2021 and 2022, Syngenta partnered with the PEI Potato Board to boost biodiversity by encouraging farmers to plant pollinator-friendly seeds on less productive land. Farmers received high-quality seeds, agronomic advice, and financial assistance. This effort resulted in 52 acres being planted across the Island.
