Support ag and the environment through Bee Friendly Farming® certification

Both native and honey bees are crucial pollinators for Australian crops.

Pollinators need help, and farmers are the ideal helpers.

More than half of the Australian continent is devoted to agricultural production and pollinator health on farmlands is crucial: bees help to pollinate most of the crops we eat and many that feed farm livestock. In fact, nearly two-thirds of Australia’s agricultural production benefits from pollination by bees.

The scary truth is, however, that global insect populations are crashing at an alarming rate. Scientists around the world have sounded the alarm that we are amid an ‘insect apocalypse,’ driven by pesticides, climate change, pollution, land clearing, bushfires and industrial agriculture.

In response, the Australian-first Bee Friendly Farming (BFF) certification program has been launched, working with farmers and gardeners to promote and certify bee-friendly landscapes and practices.

Expert oversight

BFF Australia is a science-based program overseen by a national task force of Australian experts, ensuring BFF supports bees and other pollinators to thrive under Australian conditions while optimising the benefits to landholders.

Bee-friendly practices

And Australian farmers are getting on board, with horticulture, grazing and viticulture properties implementing bee-friendly practices. Many are planting for biodiversity, adding plants like coffee, sunflowers and even Himalayan magnolias to help pollinators. And they know they reap the benefits, as a lack of bees means a lack of pollination … and if you’re growing fruiting crops, that means you’re not going to have an income.

Along with the pollination benefits from honeybees and native bees, there’s also the ecosystem services provided by beneficial insects for predation of crop pests and parasites – and it’s long been known that bees are a good indicator of a healthy environment.

To learn more, and register to become a Bee Friendly Farming certified farm, head to www.BeeFriendlyFarming.org.au

Do olive groves need bees for pollination? It’s a surprisingly common question, so we asked AOA President and Grove Consultant Michael Thomsett for the facts: “Bees and other insects feed on the pollen of olives, however they have been considered to not play an active role in pollination, as air carries the pollen effectively,” Thomsett said. “However, it’s been reported that in low wind movement conditions as experienced in some seasons, bee activity was found to be related to higher yields in olives. “So assist, yes. Necessary? No, not normally.”