In Northwestern Italy, rice farms are employing bats. Bats are the foremost known predators of insects that are active at night, including several pests that can be found in rice fields. "The idea is that what is needed to achieve stainable food production is what we already have, but has been ignored for a decade," says Laura Garzoli, 2017 winner of BCFN Young Earth Solutions.
"It has been predicted that, globally 50 percent of pest species have become pests because chemicals killed their natural predators. There is no sustainability in the long term if there are no conservation efforts," says Garzoli.
Since 2017, Garzoli, along with colleagues from the National Research Council has fixed 60 artificial bat habitats in three rice fields in Northwestern Italy. Now, they are collecting bats' waste to analyze their diets at these sites and to gain insight into the insects living in these areas.
"In Italy, there are 34 bat species, each feeding on a variety of insects 一each bat species has its preferred insect snack," says Garzoli. Bats can eat up to one-third of their body weight each night, which means they can consume thousands of insects per night. They are also flying hunters — they can prey on new non-native pest species.
Garzoli is committed to developing an awareness of the importance of bats in the ecosystem. "Their usefulness has been acknowledged in several countries 一 not only do they contribute to protecting crops, but they are important pollinators (传粉者). Bats still get bad press in the news, in particular concerning the spreading of virus diseases," says Garzoli to Food Tank. She explains, "Many bat species are nowadays facing the risk of extinction."
Garzoli is also drafting a best practice guide for farmers outlining targeted habitat management techniques for sustainable production.
