Global malnutrition overlaps with pollinator-dependent micronutrient production.

ABSTRACT: Pollinators contribute around 10% of the economic value of crop production globally, but the contribution of these pollinators to human nutrition is potentially much higher. Crops vary in the degree to which they benefit from pollinators, and many of the most pollinator-dependent crops are also among the richest in micronutrients essential to human health. This study examines regional differences in the pollinator dependence of crop micronutrient content and reveals overlaps between this dependency and the severity of micronutrient deficiency in people around the world. As much as 50% of the production of plant-derived sources of vitamin A requires pollination throughout much of Southeast Asia, whereas other essential micronutrients such as iron and folate have lower dependencies, scattere

SUBMITTER: Chaplin-Kramer R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4211458 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature