The dwindling population of bees has become a global concern as it affects agricultural produce
By ASHIM CHOUDHURY in almora
IF you are a city dweller, it is likely you haven’t seen a bumble bee in years. And there is not much hope to spot one soon either as their numbers are falling. Even in the countryside, their numbers have dwindled alarmingly. This needs to be taken seriously as they are among the best known wild pollinators. It is through pollination that plants and trees produce crops, vegetables and fruits. Though many crops are pollinated by the wind, a large number depend on bees, butterflies, drones, flies, insects, bats and birds.
Bumble bees help pollinate crops like coffee and large cardamom, among many others. The bumble bee is a metaphor, just like the tiger is a metaphor for saving our wilds and the environment. There are 18,000 wild bee species, besides butterflies, drones, hornets and flies, birds and bats whose free services are being increasingly missed. Apples, oranges, mangoes, apricots, strawberries and many other crops are likely to get affected due to the falling bee population. I was in the hills investigating this story when an onion farm in full bloom shocked me. There was not a single bee or butterfly flitting around. The absence of these little winged visitors on our farms has escaped the notice of even farmers and orchard-growers. In fact, many of them are not even aware of the free pollination services these nectar-raiders on the farm are providing.
What escaped the notice of our farmers—and the media as well—caught the attention of experts across the world. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Global Environment Fund (GEF) and the UN Environment Program (UNEP) joined hands for the Global Pollinator Project (GPP), that started in January 2010 and concluded in December 2014. The five-year project, involving seven countries— Brazil, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nepal, Pakistan and South Africa—set out to “conserve and manage pollinators through an ecosystem approach to farming”. Simply put, it attempted to improve the bee, butterfly and other insect (pollinator) population by reviving their habitat—essentially forests, weeds and untended fields that have tiny wild flowers on which pollinators feed and thrive. Europe already has what is known as the Big Bee Project, to address the bee-colony-collapse syndrome.
RELEVANCE FOR INDIA
Why is the GPP so important for India? Kevin Gallagher, acting representative of the UN’s FAO in India, is concerned over the disappearing pollinator habitat. “Declining pollinator populations are one of the greatest threats to the world’s agricultural economy,” he warns. Falling bee, butterfly and other such populations is a consequence of dwindling biodiversity. Ironically, farming activity itself degrades biodiversity and small ecosystems on which pollinators survive, and in turn, help increase farm produce. Unlike wheat or rice, horticultural crops like fruits and vegetables are more dependent on nature’s pollination services. Pollinators like bees, butterflies, birds and bats affect 35 percent of the world’s crop production and are responsible for increasing the output of 87 leading food crops, including many medicinal plants. With horticulture’s increasing importance in food trade and nutrition, the role of pollinators has become important. “Pollinators are closely linked to food security,” says Gallagher. “There’s an urgent need to raise awareness on this issue.”
A key reason for a steep decline in pollinator population is the indiscriminate use of chemicals and pesticides on our farms. These not only kill intended pests but cause collateral damage to the bee, butterfly and insect population. Dr RS Rawal of the GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development (GBPIHE), who was GPP’s Principal Investigator in India, says: “Besides the increasing use of chemicals and pesticides that have led to natural pollinator declines, there are bad farming practices like burning of post-harvest fields… and of forests.” Burning not only kills pollinators but also destroys their homes and breeding grounds, he says. This writer was witness to vast swathes of burnt landscapes in the Konkan, where burning farms after harvest is, like in many other places, a common practice. In summer, raging forest fires are a common sight in the hills of Uttarakhand or Himachal Pradesh; these are often lit by locals. Urbanization has led to a steep decline in the pollinator habitat and population. Most wild bees and drones make their home on the ground or on the branches of shrubs and trees that dot the land. But these untended spaces are fast shrinking. “We need to harness the free services provided by nature. The eco-system has to be rejuvenated,” says Rawal.
GPP’s aim is to restore the health of natural surroundings where bee and insect populations can thrive, particularly in times when there are no “flowering” crops like mustard or pulses. In the absence of flowers (food), pollinator populations dwindle rapidly. This is particularly true during extreme summers or extreme winters when little or no flowers/crops grow. The GPP had four main objectives or STEPs—study, training, evaluation and promotion. In the words of Dr PP Dhyani, Director, GBPIHE, its aim was to “increase knowledge of pollinators among farmers and create an enabling ecosystem around farms for wild pollination and finally, mainstreaming wild pollination services into best farming practices.” Currently, while diminishing returns from excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides is a concern, there appears to be no holistic policy on increasing yields through sustainable practices that the GPP espouses.
BOOST TO AGRICULTURE
“The project has clearly demonstrated that pollinators can help in improving agricultural yields,” Dhyani says. “This calls for aggressive efforts towards pro-pollinator policies and programs, both at the national and state level.” The value of good pollination can be understood better when you see a well-pollinated fruit. An apple or a strawberry that is well-pollinated, for instance, grows much larger and shapelier. Besides higher yield, it also fetches higher prices. The apple growers of Himachal have understood this well. But with natural bees and butterflies virtually missing, they are now hiring “domestic” bee colonies to fill the gap in nature’s pollination services. However, use of chemicals and pesticides continues unabated. It’s only a return to organic farming that can revive the natural pollinator population. Multi and mixed cropping, and interspersing farms with flowering plants and trees provide the way forward. Good pollination depends on a wide range of activities by bees, butterflies and birds. Experts are now turning to nature to fill the gap. The plan is to restore natural pollinator habitats particularly around farms.
Many decades ago Albert Einstein has said: “If bees disappear from the surface of the earth man would have no more than four years to live.” In all probability, he was warning us to protect pollinators and save farming from collapsing. The important question is, are our agricultural scientists and policy makers alive to this issue? Will they save the lost habitat of the humble bumble bee?
By ASHIM CHOUDHURY in almora
IF you are a city dweller, it is likely you haven’t seen a bumble bee in years. And there is not much hope to spot one soon either as their numbers are falling. Even in the countryside, their numbers have dwindled alarmingly. This needs to be taken seriously as they are among the best known wild pollinators. It is through pollination that plants and trees produce crops, vegetables and fruits. Though many crops are pollinated by the wind, a large number depend on bees, butterflies, drones, flies, insects, bats and birds.
Bumble bees help pollinate crops like coffee and large cardamom, among many others. The bumble bee is a metaphor, just like the tiger is a metaphor for saving our wilds and the environment. There are 18,000 wild bee species, besides butterflies, drones, hornets and flies, birds and bats whose free services are being increasingly missed. Apples, oranges, mangoes, apricots, strawberries and many other crops are likely to get affected due to the falling bee population. I was in the hills investigating this story when an onion farm in full bloom shocked me. There was not a single bee or butterfly flitting around. The absence of these little winged visitors on our farms has escaped the notice of even farmers and orchard-growers. In fact, many of them are not even aware of the free pollination services these nectar-raiders on the farm are providing.
What escaped the notice of our farmers—and the media as well—caught the attention of experts across the world. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Global Environment Fund (GEF) and the UN Environment Program (UNEP) joined hands for the Global Pollinator Project (GPP), that started in January 2010 and concluded in December 2014. The five-year project, involving seven countries— Brazil, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nepal, Pakistan and South Africa—set out to “conserve and manage pollinators through an ecosystem approach to farming”. Simply put, it attempted to improve the bee, butterfly and other insect (pollinator) population by reviving their habitat—essentially forests, weeds and untended fields that have tiny wild flowers on which pollinators feed and thrive. Europe already has what is known as the Big Bee Project, to address the bee-colony-collapse syndrome.
RELEVANCE FOR INDIA
Why is the GPP so important for India? Kevin Gallagher, acting representative of the UN’s FAO in India, is concerned over the disappearing pollinator habitat. “Declining pollinator populations are one of the greatest threats to the world’s agricultural economy,” he warns. Falling bee, butterfly and other such populations is a consequence of dwindling biodiversity. Ironically, farming activity itself degrades biodiversity and small ecosystems on which pollinators survive, and in turn, help increase farm produce. Unlike wheat or rice, horticultural crops like fruits and vegetables are more dependent on nature’s pollination services. Pollinators like bees, butterflies, birds and bats affect 35 percent of the world’s crop production and are responsible for increasing the output of 87 leading food crops, including many medicinal plants. With horticulture’s increasing importance in food trade and nutrition, the role of pollinators has become important. “Pollinators are closely linked to food security,” says Gallagher. “There’s an urgent need to raise awareness on this issue.”
A key reason for a steep decline in pollinator population is the indiscriminate use of chemicals and pesticides on our farms. These not only kill intended pests but cause collateral damage to the bee, butterfly and insect population. Dr RS Rawal of the GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development (GBPIHE), who was GPP’s Principal Investigator in India, says: “Besides the increasing use of chemicals and pesticides that have led to natural pollinator declines, there are bad farming practices like burning of post-harvest fields… and of forests.” Burning not only kills pollinators but also destroys their homes and breeding grounds, he says. This writer was witness to vast swathes of burnt landscapes in the Konkan, where burning farms after harvest is, like in many other places, a common practice. In summer, raging forest fires are a common sight in the hills of Uttarakhand or Himachal Pradesh; these are often lit by locals. Urbanization has led to a steep decline in the pollinator habitat and population. Most wild bees and drones make their home on the ground or on the branches of shrubs and trees that dot the land. But these untended spaces are fast shrinking. “We need to harness the free services provided by nature. The eco-system has to be rejuvenated,” says Rawal.
GPP’s aim is to restore the health of natural surroundings where bee and insect populations can thrive, particularly in times when there are no “flowering” crops like mustard or pulses. In the absence of flowers (food), pollinator populations dwindle rapidly. This is particularly true during extreme summers or extreme winters when little or no flowers/crops grow. The GPP had four main objectives or STEPs—study, training, evaluation and promotion. In the words of Dr PP Dhyani, Director, GBPIHE, its aim was to “increase knowledge of pollinators among farmers and create an enabling ecosystem around farms for wild pollination and finally, mainstreaming wild pollination services into best farming practices.” Currently, while diminishing returns from excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides is a concern, there appears to be no holistic policy on increasing yields through sustainable practices that the GPP espouses.
BOOST TO AGRICULTURE
“The project has clearly demonstrated that pollinators can help in improving agricultural yields,” Dhyani says. “This calls for aggressive efforts towards pro-pollinator policies and programs, both at the national and state level.” The value of good pollination can be understood better when you see a well-pollinated fruit. An apple or a strawberry that is well-pollinated, for instance, grows much larger and shapelier. Besides higher yield, it also fetches higher prices. The apple growers of Himachal have understood this well. But with natural bees and butterflies virtually missing, they are now hiring “domestic” bee colonies to fill the gap in nature’s pollination services. However, use of chemicals and pesticides continues unabated. It’s only a return to organic farming that can revive the natural pollinator population. Multi and mixed cropping, and interspersing farms with flowering plants and trees provide the way forward. Good pollination depends on a wide range of activities by bees, butterflies and birds. Experts are now turning to nature to fill the gap. The plan is to restore natural pollinator habitats particularly around farms.
Many decades ago Albert Einstein has said: “If bees disappear from the surface of the earth man would have no more than four years to live.” In all probability, he was warning us to protect pollinators and save farming from collapsing. The important question is, are our agricultural scientists and policy makers alive to this issue? Will they save the lost habitat of the humble bumble bee?
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