Pollination is the highest agricultural contributor to yields worldwide, contributing far beyond any other agricultural management practice. Thus, bees and other pollinators make important contributions to agriculture. Pollinators
affect 35 percent of global agricultural land, supporting the production of 87 of the leading food crops worldwide. Plus, pollination-dependent crops are five times more valuable than those that do not need pollination. The price tag of
global crops directly relying on pollinators is estimated to be between US$235 and US$577 billion a year. And their quantity is on the rise. The volume of agricultural production dependent on pollinators has increased by 300 percent in the last 50 years. These figures reflect the importance that pollinators have in sustaining livelihoods across the planet. Several of the crops produced with pollination, cocoa and coffee, to name two examples, provide income for farmers, in particular smallholder farmers and family farms, especially in developing countries.

KEY FACTS AND FIGURES
Three out of four crops across the globe producing fruits or seeds for human use as food depend, at least in part, on pollinators.

Improving pollinator density and diversity boosts crop yields – pollinators affect 35 percent of global agricultural land, supporting the production of 87 of the leading food crops worldwide.

Pollinator-dependent food products contribute to healthy diets and nutrition.
Pollinators are under threat – sustainable agriculture can reduce risk to pollinators by helping to diversify the agricultural landscape and making use of ecological processes as part of food production.

Safeguarding bees safeguards biodiversity: the vast majority of pollinators are wild, including over 20 000 species of bees.
FAO plays a leading role in facilitating and coordinating the International Pollinators Initiative 2.0