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A global shortage of bees and other insects
that pollinate plants is destroying crops around the world
and could lead to far higher prices for fruits and vegetables,
according to researchers at the University of Guelph, Canada.
"The
consumers are ultimately going to pay,"
said Dr. Peter Kevan, an environmental biology professor at
the university. "Instead of buying an apple for 30 cents,
you'll end up paying $1.50 for it."
Pollinator populations have been hit hard
by increased pesticide use in recent years, and much of their
natural habitat, such as dead trees and old fence posts, have
been destroyed to make room for more farmland, Dr. Kevan added.
In their report, published recently in
the online journal Conservation
Ecology, Dr. Kevan and Dr. Truman Phillips say that pollination
systems in many agricultural areas today are threatened by
an inadequate number or complete lack of sustainably-managed
pollinators, either indigenous or imported.
Although concerns about pollinator shortages
date back at least to Biblical times, their
report is the first one to quantify the effects
in economic terms. Their research does not pinpoint exactly
how high food prices will rise, but rather presents a model
for assessing the economic ramifications if birds, bees and
other pollinators continue to disappear.
Their economic analysis indicates that
consumers of a commodity affected by a pollinator deficit
may suffer since the commodity will likely cost more and become
less available. At the same time, producers of affected commodities
may experience crop declines but may also experience economic
gains resulting from higher prices. The amount gained or lost
by producers depends on the supply and demand curves.
Their research states that there is ample
evidence to suggest the existence of pollinator declines and
that such declines are affecting agricultural productivity.
They conclude that the adverse economic effects of pollinator
deficits on food prices must follow from on-farm considerations,
but that the effects could be much broader.
Although there is little data to work
with, they state that security, trade and the
global food supply could be in serious jeopardy
if "pollinator abundance, diversity, and availability
are not reversed."
The team's model, which is based on variables
such as individual products, trade situations and market conditions,
adds another level of clout to a long list of research that
says deteriorating supplies of pollinators are ruining billions
of dollars worth of food.
Pollinators such as bees, bats, butterflies
and birds play a key role in agriculture, transferring pollen
from one seed to another. It is a vital step in the production
of most fruits and vegetables, as well as a handful of nuts.
An under-pollinated apple usually means a smaller, less appealing
apple.
Honey bees, which the Canadian Honey Council
says are responsible for CAN$1-billion worth of produce each
year, are one of the most affected species.
In the province of Ontario in the mid-1980s,
for example, there were 115,000
honey bee hives,
producing nearly 60,000 bees apiece. Today, there are barely
80,000 hives,
said Doug McRory of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food
and Rural Affairs.
The amount of beekeepers who "rent"
their bees to farmers is also down from recent years, forcing
farmers to pay heftier fees for pollination. Cherry growers,
for example, may have to make better offers this summer to
rent pollination services, said Troy Fore, the executive director
of the American Beekeeping Federation.
Dr. Ken Richards, a researcher with Canada's
Ministry of Agriculture, said the
federal government is very aware of the shrinking number of
pollinators, and is now gauging ways to measure
the decline and find ways to halt it. "All sorts of things
could possibly happen if we don't look to start to take care
of our pollinators."
Conservation
Ecology 5(1):8, June 2001
Pesticide
Action Network Updates Service July 13, 2001
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