14. Role of Pollinators in Sustainable Farming and Livelihood Security

Agricultural biodiversity is often understood as crop genetic resources, yet agro-ecosystems hold a wide diversity of other organisms that contribute toward their productivity and sustainability. Pollination is an ecological process that provides important services to humans. Pollination service in agro-ecosystems depends on several factors, including the land management systems used by farmers. Pollinators, such as honeybees, play a crucial role in flowering plant reproduction and in the production of most fruits and vegetables. As most of the agri-horticultural crops plants are not only self incompatible but also cross incompatible. It has been found that the use of hive bees results in a manifold increase in the quality of produce. Yield potential of a cross pollinated crop can be achieved only when the pollination requirement of the crop is fulfilled. Interestingly, most of the crops benefited from bees are sources of protein and fat, the nutrients our people need most. Over the past decade, the international community has increasingly recognized the importance of pollinators as an element of agricultural diversity supporting human livelihoods. Yet mounting evidence points to a potentially serious decline in populations of pollinators. Maintaining and increasing yields in horticultural crops, seeds and pastures through better conservation and management of pollinators is critically important to health, nutrition, food security and better farm incomes for poor farmers. Recognizing the dimensions of a “pollination crisis” and its links to biodiversity and human livelihoods, the Convention on Biological Diversity has made the conservation and sustainable use of pollinators a priority.