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

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.