Introduction to International Pollinators Initiative

By Abram Bicksler and Alessandra Guidotti, Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations

Through the years, there have been many challenges related to the negative impacts of agriculture on the environment. Today one of the main challenges is to protect pollinators from the threats that they are facing, which range from extensive monocultures and intensive agriculture to climate change and pollution. With three out of four crops producing fruits or seeds for human consumption, at least in part, depending on pollinators their existence is critical for the future of our food.

Since early 2000, FAO has been working on project and policy guidance to help countries on the conservation and sustainable use of pollinators through the International Pollinators Initiative. In the first phase of the Initiative from 2001 to 2015, FAO formed the Global Action on Pollination Services for Sustainable Agriculture. The objective of the program was to monitor declines of pollinators; gather taxonomic information; assess economic value and impact of decline of pollination services; and promote conservation, restoration and sustainable use of pollinator diversity in agriculture and related ecosystems. Countries involved, included Brazil, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nepal, Pakistan and South Africa (http://www.fao.org/pollination/projects/conservation-and-management-of-pollination-for-sustainable-agriculture/en/).

Thanks to the success of the first phase of International Pollinators Initiative, we now have the knowledge base about pollinators, the main threats they face, and above all, the essential role they play in ecosystems and an in food production.