The Trend in Honey Production in India

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

As India's agriculture and markets develop, I think there's a sign of growing contracting for pollination. It's moving in the direction of more specialization at exchange. And presumably in countries with poor infrastructure, agricultural output then is not quite as good as you could. If they can figure that out, maybe they don't have time. As you say, it's a purely specialized activity.

Wally Thurman of North Carolina State University and PERC talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the world of bees, beekeepers, and the market for pollination. Thurman describes how farmers hire beekeepers to pollinate their crops and how that market keeps improving crop yields and producing honey. Thurman then discusses how beekeepers have responded to Colony Collapse Disorder--a not fully understood phenomenon where colonies disband, dramatically reducing the number of bees. The discussion closes with the history of bee pollination as an example of a reciprocal externality and how Coase's insight helps understand how the pollination market works.