Using data to assess the impact of agriculture on pollinators and pollinator services

Publication date: 29/01/2024
Extent: 14 pages

Contributions by: Noa Simón Delso, BeeLife European Beekeeping Coordination, Belgium; and Walter Haefeker, European Professional Beekeepers Association, Germany

Chapter synopsis:

Nature and agriculture are dependent on pollinators and the ecosystem services they provide. Using land for the production of food, feed and energy inevitably has an impact on other organisms. Without good data about production methods as well as abundance, diversity and health status of pollinators, sustainable farming remains an elusive goal. As a result of digitalization, there is an increasing amount of data generated on a routine basis by farm management systems. The same trend can also be observed for managed pollinators. Some of the impacts of agricultural practices on some of the pollinators could be assessed by analyzing already existing data from farmers and beekeepers in the same region. Both a lack of standardization and strong disincentives are standing in the way of sharing data. This chapter discusses efforts to tap these data sources for more sustainable farming and beekeeping practices.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2023.0128.13