And bees are essential to them all.

Just 12 plants and five animal species generate 75% of the world’s food.

“There are at least 30,000 edible plant species in the world, the vast majority of which aren’t commonly eaten. Agricultural biodiversity is in decline, with 75% of the world’s food coming from just 12 plants and five animal species. Of that percentage, the majority comes from widespread staple crops (including wheat, rice, sugarcane, corn, and soy), while a much smaller share comes from cattle, chicken, sheep, pigs, and goats.”

https://www.bbc.com/future/bespoke/follow-the-food-test/the-forgotten-plants-that-could-excite-our-tastebuds/

“Just 12 plant species and five types of animal make up 75% of the world’s food. At least 30,000 of the 350,000 known plant species on our planet are edible, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.

It is a woefully limited diet in the midst of such variety. Only 170 species of plant are cultivated for food on any significant scale. And around 60% of all the calories and proteins we obtain from plants come from just three grass crops – rice, maize and wheat.”