Co-designing technical solutions between beekeepers and crop growers

This paper summarizes six years of collaborative work led by the UMT PrADE and its partners, aimed at designing and evaluating technical innovations that support honeybees and wild pollinators within cereal agro-ecosystems in France. Researchers established reference baselines in the Plaine et Val de Sèvre observatory to study landscape and resource effects on bee ecology. The methodology evolved from expert-driven approaches to active, participatory co-design sessions with beekeepers and crop growers. Field trials at the plot, farm, and territory scales used simulation tools and simple management recommendations. The findings demonstrate how collaborative processes align initially conflicting objectives, foster mutual awareness, and validate effective, pollinator-friendly cropping systems.