Biodiversity experts partners with innocent drinks to boost biodiversity
York based pollination and insect biodiversity innovator, AgriSound has teamed up with innocent drinks to install its listening devices in apple tree orchards in Spain to tackle declining insect populations.
AgriSound has researched and developed a series of agri-tech devices, which use a combination of acoustic technology and environmental sensors to monitor bee and other pollinator populations, remotely, through an app.
The pollinator counting devices (Polly) enable farmers and landowners to access new information about the abundance of local pollinating insects to help protect populations and boost local biodiversity.
The devices count the number of insects that visit a site and are able to identify which areas have higher and lower pollinator activity, both live and historically over a fixed period. This information is used to target the introduction of pollinator-protection measures to the areas of greatest need, such as planting wildflowers or creating new habitats.
AgriSound are a partner of innocent’s Beacon Project, which aims to protect pollinators in order to build biodiversity, improve farmers’ crop yields and reduce carbon emissions in innocent’s supply chain. AgriSound will implement 48 Polly devices across several orchards in Spain. Devices will monitor pollinators levels over a three-year period, in which performance of the devices will be monitored and the impact of crop yield and carbon emissions measured.
This will allow innocent to gain an in depth understanding of peaks and troughs of pollinator abundance across their apple orchards, identify the reasons for any fluctuations, and develop effective solutions to maximise pollination, increase crop yields and build biodiversity.
Ben Summers, sustainability manager at innocent drinks, said he is delighted with the collaboration with AgriSound as part of a Beacon Project to protect pollinators and the natural environment.
‘It’s clear that their objectives and goals very much align with our own,” he said.
Summers added: “86% of our ingredients rely on pollinators like bees and butterflies1, but their numbers are falling worryingly fast, so being able to understand how to create the best environment for pollinators across our fields and orchards is hugely important.
“We have no doubt that these innovative listening devices will give us the insight we need for our project, and, as we share what we learn, we hope the technology can become a time saving tool for other farms too.”
Dr Casey Woodward, founder and CEO of AgriSound (above), said: “To work with a company like innocent, who share our enthusiasm for boosting biodiversity and protecting our natural environment, is fantastic and we’re confident that our monitoring technology can have a tangible positive impact.
“To be able to install devices on such a large scale internationally will allow both parties to gain a vital understanding of pollinators in the area and allow us to put things in place to help them thrive, while boosting yield at the same time.
“It’s an exciting project to be part of and we’re looking forward to seeing the results, whilst promoting the importance of biodiversity and the challenges it faces on an international scale.”
For more information on AgriSound’s products and how they are helping businesses protect pollinators and boost biodiversity, visit: https://www.AgriSound.io/
