Assessing the economic impact of insect pollination on the agricultural sector: A department-level case study in France

Yasmine Blili, Elie Abou Nader, Iciar Pavez (), Paolo Prosperi (), Rachid Harbouze, Leonidas Kyrgiakos, Christina Kleisiari, Marios Vasileiou, Vasileios Angelopoulos, George Vlontzos and Georgios Kleftodimos ()
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Yasmine Blili: CIHEAM-IAMM - Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier - CIHEAM - Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes, IAV Hassan II - Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II
Elie Abou Nader: CIHEAM-IAMM - Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier - CIHEAM - Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes, IAV Hassan II - Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II
Iciar Pavez: UMR MoISA - Montpellier Interdisciplinary center on Sustainable Agri-food systems (Social and nutritional sciences) - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - CIHEAM-IAMM - Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier - CIHEAM - Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement, CIHEAM-IAMM - Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier - CIHEAM - Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes
Paolo Prosperi: CIHEAM-IAMM - Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier - CIHEAM - Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes, UMR MoISA - Montpellier Interdisciplinary center on Sustainable Agri-food systems (Social and nutritional sciences) - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - CIHEAM-IAMM - Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier - CIHEAM - Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement
Rachid Harbouze: CIHEAM-IAMM - Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier - CIHEAM - Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes, IAV Hassan II - Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II
Leonidas Kyrgiakos: UTH - University of Thessaly [Volos]
Christina Kleisiari: UTH - University of Thessaly [Volos]
Marios Vasileiou: UTH - University of Thessaly [Volos]
Vasileios Angelopoulos: UTH - University of Thessaly [Volos]
George Vlontzos: UTH - University of Thessaly [Volos]
Georgios Kleftodimos: CIHEAM-IAMM - Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier - CIHEAM - Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes, UMR MoISA - Montpellier Interdisciplinary center on Sustainable Agri-food systems (Social and nutritional sciences) - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - CIHEAM-IAMM - Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier - CIHEAM - Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement

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Abstract: Pollination is a critical ecosystem service for agriculture, with 76 % of European food crops and 80 % of wild plants depending on it. However, bee populations are declining due to diseases, pesticides, and climate change, with major economic and environmental impacts. In France, pollination services are valued between 2,3 and 5,3 billion euros annually, but detailed data at the department scale (NUTS 3) is lacking. This study aims to fill this gap by quantifying the economic value of crop production (EVCP), the economic value of insect pollination (EVIP), and agricultural vulnerability to pollinator loss across all French departments. We analyzed data from 2022 for 34 major crops, of which 26 are pollinator-dependent, applying the dependence ratio method to estimate pollination contributions. We also developed a generalized additive model (GAM) to identify the main drivers of spatial variation in EVIP per hectare. We estimate France's economic value of crop production at 34,8 billion € and economic value of insect pollination at 4,2 billion €, with an agricultural vulnerability rate of 12 %. The highest economic value of insect pollination per hectare was recorded in Loire-Atlantique (19302,5 €/ha) and the lowest in Seine-Saint-Denis (575,5 €/ha). By analyzing crop-specific dependencies and regional production patterns, the study reveals that southern and western France, particularly departments specialized in fruit and vegetables, are most economically dependent and vulnerable to pollinator decline. The GAM explained 97.6 % of the variability in EVIP per hectare, revealing that fruit and vegetable cultivation strongly drives pollination value. The results highlight spatial disparities in pollination dependency and underscore the need for territorially targeted conservation strategies. Compared to previous studies, our findings suggest a significant underestimation of pollination value, highlighting the need for fine-scale entomological research and territorially targeted conservation strategies to support sustainable agricultural development. However, the study has some limitations: certain crop prices had to be approximated, dependence ratios were fixed and do not account for local ecological conditions, and some minor crops were excluded. Despite these constraints, the results remain robust and provide a reliable basis for territorialized conservation policies.

Keywords: INDICATORS; FRANCE; HONEY BEES; ECONOMIC INTERDEPENDENCE; AGRICULTURAL REGION; FARMING SYSTEM; CROP YIELD; VULNERABILITY; ECONOMIC VALUE; IMPACT ASSESSMENT; POLLINATION; ECOSYSTEM SERVICES; ABEILLE DOMESTIQUE; INTERDEPENDANCE ECONOMIQUE; REGION AGRICOLE; SYSTEME DE PRODUCTION; RENDEMENT DES CULTURES; SERVICE ECOSYSTEMIQUE; INDICATEUR; VULNERABILITE; VALEUR ECONOMIQUE; EVALUATION DE L'IMPACT; POLLINISATION (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-09-29
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr and nep-env
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05301963v1
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Published in Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 2025, 28, pp.100944. ⟨10.1016/j.indic.2025.100944⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05301963

DOI: 10.1016/j.indic.2025.100944

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