Bees, Pests and Coffee

Abstract

Agricultural productivity, particularly in the tropics, is dependent upon largely unrecognised and undervalued natural ecosystem services such as pollination, pest control, and water and soil conservation. While the dependency of agricultural systems on these ecosystem services is increasingly recognised, there remains a widespread failure to translate scientific knowledge into effective management action.

The landscape of Kodagu is a patchy network of different land uses, from large tracts of forests to coffee agroforestry systems, to cultures like areca nut and paddy fields. Quantifying the economic contribution of the full landscape to agriculture provides the basis for integrating economic and ecological objectives and could effectively inform integrated policy and management.

We are in the process of quantifying two important ecosystem services: pollination and natural pest control. Raising awareness among coffee growers of the economic values of these ecosystem services can potentially contribute to improved quantity and quality of coffee yields while reducing dependencies on synthetic pesticides.

Specifically, we intend to determine and quantify the ecological and economic links between landscape and the productivity of coffee plantation. Our objectives are to:

• Determine pollination and natural pest control services provided by different landscape elements.
• Identify factors that affect the provision of ecosystem services at the landscape level.
• Quantify the economic values derived by coffee farmers from pollination and pest control services.
• Develop a model to support decision making and for communicating locally relevant ecosystem services concepts.

Speaker

Virginie Boreux (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETHZ), Switzerland)

Organisers

Department of Ecology, French Institute of Pondicherry

Venue

Jawaharlal Nehru Conference Hall, French Institute of Pondicherry, 11, Saint Louis Street, Pondicherry - 605 001

Time

16h30