For optimal crop production, a variety of pollinators is required. Bees and other pollinating insects are improving the food production of 2 billion smallholder farmers around the world, helping to ensure food security for the global population. Obtaining honey from wild bee colonies also continues to be an important component of the livelihoods of forest-dependent populations in many developing countries.

However, the lack of suitable habitat for bees could lead to a continued decline in pollination. Monocultures, pesticides, and the increasingly higher temperatures associated with climate change pose problems for bee populations and, by extension, for the quality of cultivated foods. The decline in pollination also poses an immediate threat to nutrition. If this trend continues, nutritious crops such as fruits, nuts, and many horticultural crops will be replaced by staple crops such as rice, corn, and potatoes, resulting in an unbalanced diet.