Ecology: Pollinators support health and income for smallholder farmers (Nature)

Insect pollinator species are responsible for more than 40% of household income and a large proportion of key nutrient intake (for example, over 20% of vitamin A intake) in Nepalese farming communities, according to research published in Nature. The study demonstrates that the relationship between pollinators and people is crucial to maintaining both environmental and human health.

Declines in pollinator species, largely driven by habitat loss and anthropogenic climate change, may reduce yield and consumption of crucial nutrient-rich crops, which could then lead to increased mortality and illness. However, it can be difficult to predict precisely where these effects will be seen within our ecosystems, making it challenging to put interventions to address pollinator declines in place.

Thomas Timberlake and colleagues observed the diets, nutritional status, farming practices, and socioeconomic status of 776 individuals across ten Nepalese smallholder farming communities and recorded the pollinator species that support their nutrition and livelihoods. Insect pollinators were found to be directly responsible for 44% of farming income, and over 20% of vitamin A, folate and vitamin E intake. The authors then modelled how changes to pollinator communities may impact human nutrition and livelihoods under three main scenarios: extreme (complete loss of local pollinators), ‘business as usual’ (a conservative estimate of decline by 2030 based on local honeybee data), and recovery (active management of pollinator services to ensure pollination is not a yield-limiting factor). Across all scenarios, declines in pollinators were associated with reductions in nutrient intake and household income, with vitamins A and C, folate, and calcium being the most affected nutrients. Under the extreme and ‘business as usual’ scenarios, pollinator loss was predicted to cause a 44% and 14% reduction in household farming income by 2030, respectively. However, under the recovery scenario, household income is predicted to rise by 15% and micronutrient intake would improve, with more people receiving sufficient levels of key micronutrients.

This framework provides a clear example of human reliance on pollinator species for both income and nutrition. 

• Article
• Open access
• Published: 06 May 2026

Timberlake, T.P., Sapkota, S., Saville, N.M. et al. Pollinators support the nutrition and income of vulnerable communities. Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10421-x

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