An Asset Management Approach to Beekeeping for Enhanced Pollination and Agriculture Sustainability

Intensive agriculture has led to increasingly homogenous landscapes in Europe and North America, decreasing the biodiversity of rural areas. Plant-pollinator interactions are affected by crop diversification, flower availability, and environmental conditions. Pollinators are crucial in maintaining the ecosystem, responsible for about 70% of crop species worldwide and approximately 35% of total food production. The decline in insect pollination can result in significant economic losses, food shortages, and the extinction of several species. In the European Union, almost four-fifths of wildflowers and crops in temperate regions depend to some extent on insect pollination. Among more than 200,000 known species of pollinators, the honeybee Apis mellifera is one of the most efficient and essential pollinators. Bees can carry many pollen grains and are highly dependent on floral resources, making them necessary and effective service providers. Beekeeping offers invaluable benefits to agriculture by supporting crop production, thereby increasing the yields of pollinator-dependent crops. Beekeeping is a source of income for millions worldwide, and pollination services are worth over $215 billion annually. In the United Kingdom, Apis mellifera provides pollination for approximately 34% of commercial crops and plays a fundamental role in supporting biodiversity. In 2007, the value of pollination as a contribution to the UK agricultural market was £430 million. Honeybees provides different products such as honey, beeswax, pollen, honeydew, and propolis. The beekeeping activity contributes to biodiversity and forest conservation. Bees are a natural asset and a key to sustainability and life on earth; however, they are at risk, and action is needed to protect them and optimize the value they can derive from them. This paper discusses the opportunities for approaching this complex problem using asset management principles and techniques.