UC Berkeley conservation biologist Claire Kremen says that there are about 4,000 native bee species in the U.S. and 1,500 in California. Yet the monoculture system used by most farmers is largely dependent on imported honey bees to pollinate crops like almonds, avocados, raspberries, and melons.

In this episode, Mark Bittman and Kremen visit Full Belly Farms in Northern California and talk about why promoting native pollinators is essential to the ecosystem and our food system, and why monoculture isn't a sustainable way to grow our food.