Pollinator decline: US Agro-Socio-Economic Impacts and Responses
Published in Journal of Natural & Environmental Sciences, 2013
Recommended citation: Sinnathamby, S., Y. Assefa, A. Granger, L. Tabor, K. Douglas Mankin. (2013). "Pollinator decline: US Agro-Socio-Economic Impacts and Responses." J.Natural Environ.Sciences. 4(1). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283908690_Pollinator_Decline_US_Agro-Socio-Economic_Impacts_and_Responses
Abstract: Pollination is a crucial ecosystem service to crops and is essential for sustainable crop production. Decline in animal pollinator populations can cause parallel decline in production of plants that rely upon them. We present a holistic evaluation of impacts and responses to pollinator decline in the US in an effort to summarize the spatial and temporal state of US pollinators, to review possible pressures and drivers of national pollinator decline, to examine the agro-socio-economic impact of the state of pollinators, and to provide a comprehensive insight into associated problems and solutions. Data on crop yield, pollinator populations, and economic value of pollinators were analyzed for the time period of 1945 through 2010. Results show a significant decline in the number of managed pollinators (specifically honey bees) in most regions of the US; on average, 42,000 colonies of managed pollinators were lost each year from 1945 through 2010. Crop yields increased significantly over the same period; however, crop yield variability increased with increasing pollinator dependence, and both mean relative yield and mean yield growth declined with increasing pollinator dependence. The total economic value of managed pollinators, estimated based on contribution toward agricultural yield of selected major US crops, was approximately 12.8 billion dollars. Analysis indicated US agricultural value in 2010 declined by about 49 million dollars per year compared with 1945 and $75 million per year compared with 1986 due to declining pollinator numbers. Agricultural intensification and increased use of inorganic fertilizer and pesticides, which has increasingly replaced crop rotation for both nutrient and disease management and has led to increasing presence of monoculture-type cropping systems, were likely the primary pressures that led to pollinator decline. Recommendations are to enhance both managed and native pollinator management options at all scales, including improving policy decisions, increasing diversity of cropping systems, and enhancing management of natural habitat.