Priorities for Research and Development in the Management of Pollination Services for Agricultural Development in Africa

Authors

  • Barbara Gemmill-Herren Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
  • Peter Kwapong Kwapong University of Cape Coast
  • Kwame Aidoo University of Cape Coast
  • Dino Martins Stony Brook University
  • Wanja Kinuthia National Museums of Kenya
  • Mary Gikungu National Museums of Kenya
  • Connal Desmond Eardley Plant Protection Research Institute, South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26786/1920-7603(2014)1

Abstract

It is increasingly recognized that a sustainable future for agriculture must build on ecosystem services. Pollination is an important ecosystem service in all agroecosystems. In much of Africa the main challenge is conserving pollinator biodiversity in traditionally “ecologically-intensive” agroecosystems that are changing to meet different demands for food security and poverty alleviation, rather than safeguarding pollination in transition from conventional agricultural systems, with a high reliance on purchased inputs, to “ecologically-intensive” agroecosystems using natural inputs provided by biodiversity. Priority issues for research and development in pollination services in Africa include, inter alia: quantification and documentation of pollination deficits and finding measures to address these; socio-economic valuation of pollinator-friendly practices; assessment of lethal and sub-lethal effects of farming methods, such as pesticide use, on crop pollinators; identification of habitat management practices that enhance synergies between pollinator lifecycles and crop growing patterns; and policy analysis in relation to drivers and trends in pollination services and management.

Author Biographies

Peter Kwapong Kwapong, University of Cape Coast

School of Biological Sciences

Kwame Aidoo, University of Cape Coast

School of Biological Sciences

Dino Martins, Stony Brook University

Turkana Basin Institute

Connal Desmond Eardley, Plant Protection Research Institute, South Africa

Biosystematics

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Published

2014-02-24

How to Cite

Gemmill-Herren, B., Kwapong, P. K., Aidoo, K., Martins, D., Kinuthia, W., Gikungu, M., & Eardley, C. D. (2014). Priorities for Research and Development in the Management of Pollination Services for Agricultural Development in Africa. Journal of Pollination Ecology, 12, 40–51. https://doi.org/10.26786/1920-7603(2014)1

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Articles