Hi all
I have spent several years researching the topic of the pollinator dependence of agriculture. The following analysis nails it better than any I have seen so far. Basically, the beekeeping industry and its current cheerleaders have grossly exaggerated the dependence of agriculture and our food supply on pollinators. It's not that pollinators are not valuable, and essential; I think it's a bad idea to bet heavily on a weak hand, lest somebody call your bluff.
quoted material:
The pollinator dependence of agriculture
The estimate that humans depend on animal pollination for about one-third of their food is often highlighted in the literature on the agricultural consequences of a much debated decline in pollinator abundance. Indeed, 70% of crops that account for about 35% of all agricultural production depend to varying extents on pollinators for high-quality and high-quantity seed and fruit production.
However, according to our results the proportion of the total production that can be attributed directly to animal pollination, and that may be lost in the absence of flower visitors, is on the order of 5% (developed world) to 8% (developing world).
This is the compound result of the partial dependence of most pollinator-dependent crops and the smaller average production of the pollinator-dependent than non-dependent crops. Deficits in diversity of agricultural production were of the same magnitude or lower.
The discrepancy between prior estimates and our estimates of the agricultural importance of biotic pollination results primarily because, unlike prior estimates, we accounted for the fact that many animal-pollinated crops depend only partly on this service. For instance, although about three-quarters of crops benefit in some way from animal pollination, only about 10% depend fully on pollinators to produce the seeds or fruits we consume, and they collectively account for only 2% of global agricultural production.
Aizen, M. A., Garibaldi, L. A., Cunningham, S. A., & Klein, A. M. (2009). How much does agriculture depend on pollinators? Lessons from long-term trends in crop production. Annals of botany.
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