Skip to main content
Dryad

Data from: Ecological pest control fortifies agricultural growth in Asia-Pacific economies

Data files

Jul 15, 2020 version files 122.85 KB

Abstract

The Green Revolution is credited with alleviating famine, mitigating poverty and driving aggregate economic growth since the 1960s. In Asia, high-input technology packages secured a tripling of rice output, with germplasm improvements providing benefits beyond US$ 4.3 billion/year. Here, we unveil the magnitude and macro-economic relevance of parallel nature-based contributions to productivity growth in non-rice crops over 1918-2018 (covering 23 different Asia-Pacific geopolitical entities). We empirically demonstrate how biological control resolved invasive pest threats in multiple agricultural commodities, ensuring annually-accruing (on-farm) benefits of US$ 14.6-19.5 billion/year. Scientifically-guided biological control of 43 exotic invertebrate pests permitted 73-100% yield-loss recovery in critical food, feed and fiber crops including banana, breadfruit, cassava and coconut. Biological control thereby promoted rural growth and prosperity even in marginal, poorly-endowed, non-rice environments. By placing agro-ecological innovations on equal footing with input-intensive measures, our work provides lessons for future efforts to mitigate invasive species, restore ecological resilience and sustainably raise output of global agri-food systems.