🌱 Why are insects important in agriculture?
Many plants need insects for pollination.[i] Some birds, bats, or other animals can be pollinators too – but most pollinators are insects.[ii] Approximately 35% of the earth’s food crops depend in one way or the other on pollinators.[iii] It is assumed that without pollinators, 75% of our crops would vanish. Pollinators are however disappearing, due to the use of pesticides and other chemicals, habitat loss, parasites, and diseases.[iv] At the moment, about 40% of insect species globally are threatened to die out.[v]
🌱 What products do insects produce?
While humans rely on many fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet, there are still other products made by insects that have been used by humans already for centuries. Examples of this include beeswax, silk, and honey.[vi] Moreover, the products of insects can also play an important role in medicine. Bee venom can, for example, be used to treat certain types of cancer.[vii]
🌱 What services do insects provide?
Beyond this, insects can help keep pests away from our cultivated plants by being predators to these pests. In addition, some insects are decomposers and help dead animals and plants to decompose fast.[viii]
🌱 What damage can insects cause?
Insects can also be pests. Over time, intensive agricultural practices have selected a rather small variety of plants or crops to grow in large-scale monocultures, providing the perfect habitat for herbivorous insects. This results in the mass reproduction of these insects. Worldwide, these insects damage 18% of agricultural production.[ix]
This post has been adapted from a newsletter written by Christine Nikander and Heidrun Kordholste-Nikander. The newsletter titled “How can businesses protect biodiversity through their agricultural practices?” was originally published in “The Just Transition Newsletter” by Palsa & Pulk.
[i] Purdue University, Importance of Insects. https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/radicalbugs/index.php?page=importance_of_insects (24.02.2025).
[ii] US Department of Agriculture, The Importance of Pollinators. https://www.usda.gov/peoples-garden/pollinators (24.02.2025).
[iii] US Department of Agriculture, The Importance of Pollinators. https://www.usda.gov/peoples-garden/pollinators (24.02.2025); World Economic Forum: 75% of crops depend on pollinators - they must be protected. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2019/12/protect-pollinators-food-security-biodiversity-agriculture/ (24.02.2025).
[iv] US Department of Agriculture, The Importance of Pollinators. https://www.usda.gov/peoples-garden/pollinators (24.02.2025).
[v] World Economic Forum, 75% of crops depend on pollinators - they must be protected. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2019/12/protect-pollinators-food-security-biodiversity-agriculture/ (24.02.2025).
[vi] Daniel P. Faith, Biodiversity, in Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/biodiversity/ (24.01.2025).
[vii] Shriram H. Bairagi: Insects with Potential Medicinal Significance: A Review, BioMedical Journal of Science & Technical Research, https://biomedres.us/fulltexts/BJSTR.MS.ID.002849.php# (24.01.2025).
[viii] Daniel P. Faith, Biodiversity, in Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/biodiversity/ (24.01.2025).
[ix] Astrid Jankielsohn, The Importance of Insects in Agricultural Ecosystems, Scientific Research Publishing Inc. https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=83726 (24.01.2025).