World Crop Production Limited by Lack of Pollinators

Rutgers University-New Brunswick published results of a study in which a multinational team of scientists analyzed bee visits and crop yields of more than 1,500 fields on six continents. The researchers found that production of important, nutritionally dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes is being limited worldwide by a lack of pollinators. The analysis revealed that one-third to two-thirds of farms have fields not performing up to their potential due to pollinator limitation. Blueberry, coffee, and apple crops were most frequently affected, although the scientists found deficits for 25 unique crops and in 85% of the countries evaluated in this study. “Our findings show that by paying more attention to pollinators, growers could make agricultural fields more productive,” explained the study’s lead author, Rachael Winfree.