11 Foods We Would Lose Without Pollinators
We all know honey comes from bees. Have you ever connected other foodsyou eat with the fact that they only exist because they’re pollinated by bees and other creatures?
It’s an important connection to make, considering just how threatened bees, butterflies, birds, beetles and otherimportant pollinators are. The threats come from pollution, climate change, habitat destruction and use of toxic pesticides and herbicides. But maybe the biggest threat is ignorance of how essential these creatures are to the web of life as well as our own food chain.
The Whites House has acknowledged the importance of pollinators not only to America’s food securitybut to the U.S. economy. “Honeybees enable the production of at least 90 commercially grown crops in North America,” says the White House. Globally, 87 of 115 leading food crops depend on animal pollinators and contribute 35 percent of global food production. What that means is, pollinators contribute more than $24 billion to the U.S. economy. Not only do pollinators help keep us fed; they also help sustain our prosperity.
Here’s just one example of the impact pollinators have on what we eat and how well we do. Almonds are almost exclusively pollinated by honey bees. California’s almond industry, just the almonds, require pollination help from about 1.4 million beehives (not 1.4 million individual bees, the thousands of bees that live in each hive). But as bee colonies are collapsing, they’re taking their toll on the almonds and other plants they pollinate. Beekeepers in the U.S. have collectively lost an estimated 10 million beehives at an approximate current value of $200 each, driving up food prices but, more importantly, potentially putting more than a third of our food system in danger.
National Pollinator Week was unanimously designated by the U.S. to raise awareness about the urgent need to raise awareness about declining populations of pollinators. The original event was held in June 2007. It has now grown into an international celebration managed by the Pollinator Partnership and supported by both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of the Interior. This year, it will be celebrated June 20-June 27, 2016.
In honor of the 2016 Pollinator Week, here are 11 foods we would lose if pollinators weren’t around to do their job. Note that the list includes a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.
Apples (and all kinds of other tree fruits, including peaches, apricots, plums, lemons, limes and cherries)
Strawberries (as well as elderberries, blackberries, raspberries and cranberries)
Onions
Avocados
Green Beans (and many otherbeans, including adzuki, kidney and lima beans)
Coffee
Sunflower Oil (and other oils, including palm, safflower and sesame)
Tomatoes (plus cucumbers)
Grapes
Cauliflower (plus cabbage, broccoli, turnips and Brussels sprouts)
Beets
Want to do something to protect pollinators and the foods you love? Sign this petition to protect pollinators from toxic pesticides.
Related:
Cause of Colony Collapse Disorder: YouThis Young Entrepreneur Wants YOU to Help Save the Bees
10 Health Benefits of Honey
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
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