Each year on World Bee Day, we celebrate the essential role that bees play in pollination, food security, and biodiversity. 

But bees are far more than pollinators. They provide livelihoods, medicines, and even inspiration for innovation in sustainable agriculture. At the heart of strengthening beekeeping practices worldwide lies access to knowledge, and that’s where AGRIS plays a key role.

A World of Bees and Beekeepers

There are more than 20,000 bee species globally, with over 200 species recognized as pollinators. While the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) is the most widely managed, other species like the Eastern honeybee (Apis cerana), stingless bees (Melipona spp.), and bumblebees (Bombus spp.) are essential to local ecosystems and food systems across different regions.

Beekeeping systems are just as diverse. From traditional hives made with local materials to modern, moveable-frame hives and even experimental rotating hives, communities around the world have adapted their practices to meet environmental, economic, and cultural needs.

AGRIS: Powering Sustainable Apiculture with Open Knowledge

AGRIS, the International System for Agricultural Science and Technology, is a global open-access database developed by FAO. It contains over 15 million records, including peer-reviewed articles, technical reports, theses, and datasets on agriculture and food systems, many of them related to apiculture.

Through AGRIS, users can explore research on:

• Bee health and disease management
• Sustainable hive design and innovation
• Climate-smart beekeeping practices
• Pollinator-friendly crop management
• Apitherapy and value-added bee products

This wealth of information helps researchers, policymakers, and practitioners adopt and promote context-specific, science-based beekeeping systems that are productive, inclusive, and ecologically sound.

Beekeeping and Rural Livelihoods

Beekeeping offers an affordable, scalable opportunity to improve rural livelihoods, particularly for smallholders, women, youth, and Indigenous communities. It requires minimal land, low investment, and can be integrated with existing farming systems. Scientific knowledge available through AGRIS supports these communities by enabling better decision-making, improving productivity, and connecting traditional practices with modern innovations.

Protecting Pollinators Means Protecting Our Future

Bees face growing threats from habitat loss, pesticide use, invasive species, and climate change. A decline in pollinators could lead to reduced crop diversity, lower yields, and imbalanced diets. Access to credible, multilingual scientific research, like that found in AGRIS, is essential to confronting these challenges.

This World Bee Day, explore the research that supports pollinator health, resilient apiculture, and sustainable food systems.

Start your search in AGRIS today: https://agris.fao.org