A study published in Nature followed the full chain from wild pollinators to crop yields and family nutrition in ten smallholder farming villages and their surrounding landscapes in Nepal. Researchers tracked diets, crop nutrients and the insects visiting crops over a year to show how pollinators support both nutrition and income.
The findings show that insect pollinators were responsible for a large share of farming income and contributed more than a fifth of people’s intake of vitamin A, folate and vitamin E. When pollinators decline, families face poorer nutrition, greater vulnerability to illness and deeper cycles of poverty and poor health. One quarter of the global population currently suffers from this “hidden hunger.”
Lead researchers and partners are working with farmers and local organisations to repair pollination systems and promote simple practices such as planting wildflowers, using fewer pesticides and keeping native bees.
Difficult words
- pollinator — Animal or insect that moves pollen between flowerspollinators
- nutrition — The process of getting food for health
- vulnerability — State of being more likely to suffer harm
- smallholder — A farmer who runs a small family farm
- pesticide — Chemical used to kill pests on cropspesticides
- hidden hunger — Lack of essential vitamins and minerals
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Discussion questions
- Which of the simple practices mentioned (planting wildflowers, using fewer pesticides, keeping native bees) would be easiest to try where you live? Why?
- How might poorer nutrition and greater vulnerability to illness affect a farming family's daily life or income?
- What local actions could your community take to help repair pollination systems and support pollinators?
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