Abstract
Animal pollinators contribute to human food production and security thereby ensuring an important component of human well-being. The recent decline of these agents in Europe and North America has aroused the concern of a potential global pollinator crisis. In order to prioritize efforts for pollinator conservation, we evaluated the extent to which food production depends on animal pollinators in Brazil—one of the world’s agriculture leaders—by comparing cultivated area, produced volume and yield value of major food crops that are pollinator dependent with those that are pollinator non-dependent. In addition, we valued the ecosystem service of pollination based on the degree of pollinator dependence of each crop and the consequence of a decline in food production to the Brazilian Gross Domestic Product and Brazilian food security. A total of 68% of the 53 major food crops in Brazil depend to some degree on animals for pollination. Pollinator non-dependent crops produce a greater volume of food, mainly because of the high production of sugarcane, but the cultivated area and monetary value of pollinator dependent crops are higher (59% of total cultivated area and 68% of monetary value). The loss of pollination services for 29 of the major food crops would reduce production by 16.55–51 million tons, which would amount to 4.86–14.56 billion dollars/year, and reduce the agricultural contribution to the Brazilian GDP by 6.46%– 19.36%. These impacts would be largely absorbed by family farmers, which represent 74.4% of the agricultural labor force in Brazil. The main effects of a pollinator crisis in Brazil would be felt by the poorer and more rural classes due to their lower income and direct or exclusive dependence on this ecosystem service.
Highlights
A great portion of the crops used for human consumption, such as fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, greens and grains, depend on wind, water, and animals for pollination
Pollinator non-dependent crops are responsible for 75% of the total production (t) of the major food crops in Brazil (Table 2), with sugarcane alone being responsible for 58.87% of the total food volume produced
Our study indicates that 68% of the major food crops of Brazil are dependent on pollinators
Summary
A great portion of the crops used for human consumption, such as fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, greens and grains, depend on wind, water, and animals for pollination. It is estimated that 75% of the species grown for human consumption are pollinated by insect pollination [2] The majority of these crops are fruits, which have experienced a continuous increase in production from 1961 to 2006 [3]. Brazil ranks as the world leader in pesticide consumption, with glyphosate being used on 25 different crops [30] Another potential threat is the introduction of exotic species, such as the European bee, Bombus terrestris, which was introduced into South America in 1970 to pollinate crops in Chile. We determined the value of the ecosystem service of pollination based on the degree of pollinator dependence of crops and the estimated effects that a pollinator crisis would have in Brazil regarding potential decrease in agricultural production, economic losses, and impacts on Brazilian Gross Domestic Product and food security. We suggest some efforts for pollinator conservation in Brazil
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