Pollinator-dependent crops in Brazil yield nearly half of nutrients for humans and livestock feed

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Porto, Rafaella Guimarães, Cruz-Neto, Oswaldo, Tabarelli, Marcelo, Viana, Blandina Felipe, Peres, Carlos A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1588-8765 and Lopes, Ariadna Valentina (2021) Pollinator-dependent crops in Brazil yield nearly half of nutrients for humans and livestock feed. Global Food Security-Agriculture Policy Economics and Environment, 31. ISSN 2211-9124

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Abstract

Animal pollination services provide multiple benefits to humanity as they contribute to 35% of global food production and directly account for up to 40% of the dietary nutrient supply to humanity worldwide. Population declines of vertebrate and invertebrate pollination vectors may threaten human nutrition and well-being, particularly where agriculture relies heavily on animal pollinators. We examined the relative differences in nutrient concentrations of 45 leading crops produced throughout Brazil, the world's largest tropical agricultural producer and exporter. We also estimated the overall reductions in nutrient yields under different scenarios of pollinator declines, based on annual agricultural production. Of the 45 top-ranking crops, 29 and 16 were classified as pollinator-dependent and non-dependent, respectively. Pollinator-dependent crops provided 47% of all dietary nutrients supplied in 2017, which had significantly higher concentrations of lipids, vitamin B9, and potassium, while pollinator non-dependent crops provided higher carbohydrate content. Under either a best- or worst-case pollinator declines scenario, we estimate overall nutritional losses of 7.9% and 29.5%, respectively. These losses ranged from 4% to 18% for all macronutrients, 6.8%–26.2% for all minerals, and 2.4%–31.5% for all vitamins. We emphasize the need for land-use strategies that sustain, if not increase pollinator abundance and species diversity to ensure agricultural viability and future food security.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Funding Information: RGP was granted with a PhD studentship by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES ; # 001). We thank the PNPD / CAPES and Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE) for a postdoctoral fellowship awarded to OCN (APQ-0789-2.05/16 and BCT-0208-2.05/17). AVL, MT and BFV were awarded Research Productivity Grants from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) . OCN, MT, BFV and AVL also thank CAPES (Grant # 001). MT, CAP and AVF were awarded a Newton Mobility Grant NMG/R2/170081) from the Royal Society.
Uncontrolled Keywords: biotic pollination,brazilian crops,food security,nutritional value,pollination service,vitamins,food science,ecology,safety, risk, reliability and quality,safety research,sdg 2 - zero hunger,sdg 15 - life on land ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1106
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 21 Jul 2022 11:37
Last Modified: 09 Oct 2024 13:37
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/86787
DOI: 10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100587

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