Tell the Bees: Preserving and Encouraging Biodiversity

Bees’ importance to communities around the world across history is well documented in art and literature. In ancient Egypt, bees were revered as messengers from the gods. For centuries across Europe, beekeepers would tell hives of any important events, marriages, births, and deaths. In Kenya, the Yiaku have used bees to protect endangered species of trees and protect settlements from wild animals. 

Today, research has demonstrated bees contribute towards 15 of the 17 Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and a minimum of 30 SDG targets. 

Bees play a critical role in the global food chain, pollinating around three-quarters of the world’s flowering plants which produce 90% of the world’s food. The FAO has estimated that one out of every three bites of food we eat depends on bee pollination.

The financial contribution made by pollinators such as bees to the world’s economy is immense. The global value of crops dependent on pollinators such as bees lies between $235 and $577 billion annually. While other pollinators exist, no other insect comes close to bees when it comes to the range of plants it’s capable of pollinating. On a smaller scale, beekeeping can be an important strategy for livelihood diversification in the developing world. Helping to drive an increase in per capita and household income.

Despite well-documented evidence of the importance of bees, their populations have consistently been on the decline over the last few decades. Bees act as nature’s alarm system. A decline in bee populations is indicative of an overall reduction in the environmental health of an area, and the need for intervention. 

Multiple overlapping factors have contributed to the decline, including habitat loss, intensive farming practices, changes in weather patterns, air pollution, and excessive use of agrochemicals. The latest research suggests that air pollution impacts bees’ ability to recognize, locate, and memorize the location of floral resources, along with pollutant particles sticking to fine hairs that would normally pick up pollen. As farmers have come under pressure to increase crop yields, biodiversity has dropped, and environments once hospitable to bees have become hostile. 

At Haller, bees provide a perfect example of ecology and economy working hand in hand. All of our regenerative agricultural techniques are designed to improve biodiversity, supporting bee populations. Focusing on reducing the reliance on chemical pesticides and insecticides that negatively impact bees. Boosting bee populations in turn improves crop yields, with higher levels of pollination, and subsequent fertilization and production. 

In addition, our team in Kenya has helped smallholder communities establish bee hives to provide an additional income stream through the sale of honey and other materials produced by the bee colonies. 

All of our bee-friendly agricultural techniques can be found on the award-winning Haller Farmers App, which has recently received an upgrade. The app is now available to download on the App and Google Play Stores. We’d love your feedback on the updates, and any content you’d like to see added moving forward.