Social and Ecological Drivers of the Economic Value of Pollination Services Delivered to Coffee in Central Uganda

On-farm pollination experiments were conducted in 30 different small-scale coffee fields to determine monetary value attributable to pollination services in coffee production and to identify the degree of influences of various socio-ecological drivers in Uganda. Ecological-economic approaches were applied to determine the economic value of pollinating services. Economic value of bees increased significantly with increase in coffee farm size, bee diversity, and cover of seminatural habitats. The value of bees declined sharply ( ) with forest distance and cultivation intensity. Economic values of pollinating services associated with coffee fields established in regions with low intensity were found to be high. Organically managed small-scale coffee fields were 2 times more profitable than commercially managed farms. The annual value of pollinating services delivered by wild bees oscillated between US$67.18 and US$1431.36. Central Uganda produces in total 0.401 million tons of coffee beans for an approximate economic value of US$214 million from which US$149.42 million are attributable to pollination services. Policy makers should strengthen environmental/agricultural extension service systems to better serve farmers. Farmers are recommended to protect/increase the cover of natural and semi-natural habitats in the vicinity of their coffee fields to receive high economic benefits from pollinating services delivered by bees. 1. Introduction In rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa including Uganda, most people depend on various ecosystem services (crop pollination, biological pest control, nutrient cycling, hydrological services, etc.) delivered in and from agricultural systems [1]. Crop productivity is improved by ecosystem services, including pollination, but this should be set in the context of trade-offs among multiple management practices [2]. Ecosystem services in agricultural systems are shaped by the coupling of management interventions and environmental variables [2]. Coffee (Coffea arabica and C. robusta) is one of the world important crops that benefit from animal pollination. It is the second most traded global commodity by developing nations after oil [3–5]. Coffee is cultivated in many parts of the world’s most biodiverse regions [5–7]. The crop makes up a large percentage of total agricultural export revenue in countries like Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Indonesia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Ghana, Uganda, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, and DR Congo. In Uganda, coffee is an important cash crop; it plays a central role in the economy of the