‘Do more to save pollinators from a possible extinction’

Ashton Mutyavaviri

ZIMBABWEANS should do more to protect bees and other pollinators from a possible extinction at the mercy of veld fires, which will have negative repercussions on agricultural production through compromised yields and the subsequent food insecurity at both household and national levels.

A recent Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) post on X (formerly Twitter) urged people to protect bees and other pollinators from veld fires to boost productivity and ensure food and nutrition security.

“Most crops depend at least in part on pollination. Thirty-five percent of global food production depends at least in part on animal pollination. The world is made up of an invisible web and loss of these species weakens this web as well as whole ecosystems,” FAO said.

Rapid deforestation and increasing use of chemicals in the agricultural sector are posing a serious threat to the survival of pollinators, FAO further observed.

Added FAO: “For this sweet deal to be attained, there is need to grow more trees, halt the further loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems. More trees mean more forage, or food for the bees.”

FAO said pollination was the back-borne of crop productivity, adding that bees were the unsung heroes of the food world.

“In the environment, they play an important role in pollination, as they are the major pollinators of most tree species, vegetables and crops, thus contributing to the sustenance of floral diversity and good crop yields in the farming sector by strongly influencing ecological relationships, ecosystem conservation and stability thereby promoting genetic variation in the plant community.

Bees and other pollinators are declining in numbers across world largely due to intensive farming practices, mono-cropping, excessive use of agricultural chemicals and higher temperatures associated with climate change.

The depletion of bees in the ecosystem spells a disaster for farmers and their livelihoods, FAO added.

Pollination leads to seed production thereby promoting the regrowth of numerous plant species and protecting the environment against soil erosion.

Demand for pollination has increased so much in recent years with Zimbabwe stepping up efforts to spur its agricultural production ranging from crops to fruits, flowers and other domestic and wild food crops.

Meanwhile, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development permanent secretary Professor Obert Jiri also added that negative human behaviour was a major culprit in habitat loss thus leading to the extinction of bees and other pollinators.

“We need to consider best and sound restorative and ecosystem-based agricultural practices that safeguard the role of a variety of pollinators, including the bees, which play a critical role in our food production systems,” added Prof Jiri.

Agriculture is Zimbabwe’s mainstay and bees are a crucial component to this sector.