Many farmers are reluctant to change over to organic farming because they believe it will increase expenses, decrease crop yields, and shrink their markets. Pesticides cost money and if they aren't needed, farmers won't pay for them, said Janet Anderson of the Environmental Protection Agency. Many non-chemical controls are available for farmers but they need sound advice on how to use these. Furthermore, as organic goods become increasingly popular, consumer demand encourages farmers to reduce pesticide use. In California, pear growers are trying to use fewer chemicals, but it does not take an economist to see the problems.
Labor accounts for much of the difference.
When faced with that kind of economic decision, pollinators are not the top priority. Indeed, there's no easy way to conserve something as complex as an ecosystem. But herbicides can kill pollinators and thus threaten native plants with the inability to reproduce. Despite the obstacles, however, pollinator conservation does have its success stories. Although Steve Walker of Bat Conservation International recalls seeing bats with BB gunshots through their wings, and bats' roosts are sometimes burned or destroyed with dynamite, more people are now trying to help bats.