Significant economic benefits of wild pollination and natural pest control ecosystem services to EU field crop yields
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Agricultural ecosystems deliver essential ecosystem services, including wild pollination and natural pest control, which are critical to agricultural productivity. This study quantifies their economic contributions to EU crop production using a damage-control production function framework and data from 19,347 farms via the EU Farm Accountancy Data Network in year 2015. Findings reveal that a 1% increase in wild pollination raises production by 0.18–0.29% generating annual gains of €286-476 per average-sized farmer, while a 1% improvement in natural pest control increases production by 0.06% implying gains of €103 per average-sized farmer. Our analysis of projected production levels, assuming a one-unit increase in wild pollination and natural pest control, yielded economic values of approximately €21 and €45 per hectare, respectively. For EU-27, the total economic benefits from these services account for almost €35 billion annually. Our study reveals the substantial yet often disregarded economic value of these ecosystem services in sustaining agricultural output and farmer income. Given the alarming degradation rates of ecosystem services, our findings underscore the urgent need to prioritize nature-positive strategies such as restoring agro-ecosystems to ensure the long-term viability.
