Potential effects of climate change on crop pollination

Crop production must meet the demands of feeding a growing population in an increasingly degraded environment amid uncertainties resulting from climate change. There is a pressing need to adapt farming systems to meet these challenges. One of agriculture’s greatest assets in meeting them is nature itself: many of the ecosystem services provided by nature – such as nutrient cycling, pest regulation and pollination – directly contribute to agricultural production. The healthy functioning of these ecosystem services ensures the sustainability of agriculture as it intensifies to meet growing demands for food production.