From the article «Pollinators support the nutrition and income of vulnerable communities«, written by T. P. Timberlake, S. Sapkota and colleagues and published in Nature on 6 May 2026
The report presents an empirical analysis of how insect pollinators support both the nutrition and the income of smallholder farming communities in Nepal. The study combines individual-level dietary data, crop yields, household income and detailed plant–pollinator interaction networks to quantify the direct links between biodiversity and human welfare.
The authors show that insect pollinators are directly responsible for 44% of farming income and more than 20% of people’s intake of key micronutrients such as vitamin A, folate and vitamin E, based on longitudinal dietary surveys of 776 individuals and repeated ecological sampling across ten villages in Jumla District (Nepal). They demonstrate that declines in local pollinator populations are expected to exacerbate already severe levels of malnutrition and poverty, with simulated losses of pollinators leading to substantial reductions in vitamin A, folate, vitamin C and calcium intake, as well as marked decreases in household income. These impacts are particularly acute because more than 80% of micronutrient intake in these communities comes from locally grown, pollinator-dependent crops.
The study also identifies the pollinator species and ecological pathways that most strongly support human nutrition. Abundant taxa such as the native honeybee Apis cerana, bumblebees and hoverflies provide the majority of pollination services, and their contribution is closely tied to their abundance and network centrality. The authors further show that managing pollination services—through practices such as supporting key wild plants, reducing pesticide use or enhancing nesting habitats—could increase both nutrient intake and household income, offering a practical and scalable pathway to improve human health and livelihoods in vulnerable smallholder communities.