Animals and Money: Turkey´s buzzing fig economy

It might come as a surprise to some people, but we would not be able to eat figs in the amount we do today, if it weren’t for wasps. This is because wasps are the only pollinator of the fig tree¹. Although they do not look like it, figs are technically inverted flowers¹. By crawling inside of the fig, female fig wasps deliver pollen to the flower and lay their eggs inside the fruit¹. The adult wasp dies inside the fig, while her offspring will burrow out of the fig after hatching². Both the fig plant and the wasp can successfully reproduce. However, not all fig trees rely on pollinators to reproduce any more. Many cultivated fig varieties have been selected to be self-pollinating, to make them more suitable for commercial production. Today, many fig varieties are self-pollinating. Also, fig wasps can carry diseases that may harm the fig tree and lead to yield losses¹. With self-pollination the spread of diseases can be circumvented. This raises the question, has the economic role of the fig wasp changed since the introduction of self-pollinating plants?
The Republic of Türkiye is the world's largest producer of figs. It is responsible for around a third of global fig production^3,4. Covering around 54% of the global export market, Türkiye is also the largest exporter of dried figs⁵. An array of traditional fig varieties and fig wasps naturally occur within Türkiye´s borders^1,6. In areas outside of the wasp´s natural range, fertilization and cultivation of traditional fig varieties is more expensive, because in this case figs have to be pollinated manually¹. Self-pollinating figs, however, can be cultivated in areas where fig wasps are not present or where traditional fig varieties are not well-suited to local growing conditions¹. So, in many cases growing self-pollinating figs is more accessible and economical. 
But what role do fig wasps and traditional fig varieties still play in Türkiye? 
Every year Türkiye produces around 300.000 tons of figs^3,7, generating an export value of US$284,492 in 2019⁸. Around 90% of Türkiye´s fresh and dry fig produce comes from traditional fig varieties^3, 6, meaning they need the fig wasp as pollinator. As it stands today, the Turkish fig industry would collapse without the fig wasp. The fig industry provides jobs to farmers, processors, exporters, and other related industries, such as packaging and transportation⁶. Without the fig wasp, Türkiye would experience drops in employment and loss of revenue.
Besides its value for the economy, the fig wasp also plays an important role for the ecological health of traditional fig growing areas. Fig wasps promote cross-pollination and maintain genetic diversity by pollinating wild and less cultivated fig varieties⁶. Although self-pollinating crops may provide some level of sustained production in times of declining insect populations, it remains important to protect existing species to maintain a healthy ecosystem. To generate economic growth while also preserving ecosystem health, the balance between cultivating self-pollinating and wasp-pollinated varieties must be found. For now, however, the Turkish fig industry relies mostly on traditional fig varieties and their pollinator, the fig wasp. 

Paula Müller

Issue 21 (PDF)