Pollinators Benefit Agriculture
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Pollinator services
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the economic value of the relationship between pollinators and global crops is more than $235 billion a year. It is estimated that as much as 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce. That’s one out of every three bites of food we consume.
Within the U.S.:
Approximately 4,000 species of native wild bees in the United States contribute to agricultural pollination. Several other animals like birds, bats, butterflies, moths, flies, wasps, and beetles also help pollinate crops. In return, agricultural crops provide food to meet daily energy needs, shelter, and other resources for pollinators.
Insect pollination services add more than $34 billion in economic value to U.S. agricultural crops annually and provide diverse diets for humans including fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
Honey bees, although not native to the U.S., are responsible for up to $5 billion worth of crop production.