A recent study from Rutgers University reveals a dangerous connection between the global decline in pollinators and threats to our global food security. The research concludes that the majority of crops grown on Earth are not meeting their full production potential due to insufficient pollinator visits. With 76% of the food crops we rely on globally dependent on pollinators, the decline in pollinator populations is causing reduced crop yields and threatening the world’s food supply.
The Rutgers team analyzed crop yields from over 1,500 fields across six continents and found that yields of essential, nutritionally-dense crops—such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes—are being limited by a lack of pollinators. The study used data from over 200,000 “bee visitations” to crops’ flowers, making it one of the most comprehensive datasets on crop pollination to date.
Global pollinator declines have been well-documented, but this study is among the first to link those losses directly to crop yield data on a large, global scale. The findings have significant implications for food security and supply chains worldwide, especially as the demand for nutritious foods continues to rise. Without adequate pollination, fruit and vegetable crops fail to reach their full yield potential, which can lead to shortages of healthy foods and drive up prices. This, in turn, worsens existing supply chain challenges in feeding a growing global population.
This disruption to food supply is already impacting human health. A study from Harvard’s School of Public Health conducted last year made a troubling connection between pollinator losses and early human deaths. The study found that the decline of pollinators can be linked to approximately 427,000 early deaths per year. This reduced access to healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts, can lead to diseases including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers.
In 2023 alone, 48% of commercially managed honey bee colonies in the U.S. collapsed. The causes of colony collapse are multifaceted and interconnected, with modern stressors compounding the damage. Climate change brings extreme weather events, such as altered flowering seasons, wildfires, and storms, which directly harm bees and their habitats. These once-rare climate extremes are becoming more frequent and severe.
Monoculture farming practices exacerbate the issue by limiting the diversity of forage plants, leaving bees with insufficient nutrition throughout the year. Pollinators are also under attack from diseases and parasites, such as Varroa mites, which further weaken hives.
One positive take away from the Rutgers study is that much of the pollination deficit can be reversed with proper management. "Through continued investment in pollinator management and research, it is likely that we can improve the efficiency of our existing crop fields to meet the nutritional needs of our global population,” said Katie Turo, one of the study’s authors.
Turo also notes that many fields already have an adequate number of pollinators, and with a bit more focus on improving pollinator habitats, we can increase agricultural productivity without expanding farmland. "By paying more attention to pollinators, growers could make their fields more productive.”
At Beewise, we are on a mission to reverse colony losses in order to secure the global food supply. Our BeeHome™ leverages AI and precision robotics to protect bees from the most pressing threats, safeguarding them from climate change in a better temperature-controlled habitat, treating for parasites and diseases, and automating hive management. By saving more bees and improving their health, we are able to in turn help growers achieve superior pollination and increase yields. Contact us to learn more.