The Importance of Wild Pollinators for Food Security and Nutrition

Wild pollinators like bees, birds, butterflies, and bats transfer pollen among flowers to enable crop fertilization and reproduction. While many important staple crops such as maize and rice are wind pollinated and/or can self-pollinate, over 75 percent of leading food crops rely at least in part on pollinators. This report summarizes the contributions of wild pollinators to each of the three 2016 United States Government Global Food Security Strategy objectives. The report also describes the current status of pollinator populations and threats to their conservation, and highlights how strategies to conserve pollinators can strengthen food security and nutrition investments while improving broader environmental conditions.