What the Bees Are Telling Us : In Protecting Pollinators, We Protect the Future of Food

Bees are speaking to us — not with sound, but through their presence, their absence, and their steady disappearance. Alongside butterflies, bats, beetles, some mammals and birds, these tireless workers sustain the crops and wild plants that feed us, protect biodiversity, and keep our agrifood systems resilient. When they thrive, ecosystems flourish. When they falter, so could we. 

Without pollinators, foods like apples, almonds, cocoa, and coffee become harder to grow and more expensive to access. Their decline doesn’t just threaten nature — it undermines our agrifood systems, from farm productivity to food security and nutrition. 

Land use changes, habitat loss, unsustainable farming practices, pests and diseases and invasive species are causing alarming declines to their populations. This World Bee Day, the message is simple but urgent: safeguard pollinators, and we safeguard our agrifood systems. 

Pollinators are essential to global food security and nutrition, enabling the reproduction of 87 of the world’s 115 leading food crops and supporting nearly 90 percent of wild flowering plants. Their role spans from sustaining nutritious diets to securing rural incomes, with 1.4 billion people—especially smallholder farmers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America—relying on pollination for their livelihoods. Declines in pollinator populations threaten food availability, compromise nutrition, and weaken local economies—heightening the risk of food insecurity and diet-related diseases in vulnerable regions. 

Bees and other pollinators are vital allies in building climate-resilient agrifood systems, supporting diverse farms that are more adaptable to shocks and capable of producing higher-quality crops with fewer external inputs. FAO is leading global efforts to protect and harness pollinators through the International Initiative for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Pollinators and a range of projects at every level. Its Global Action on Pollination Services platform serves as a key resource for beekeepers, educators, and policymakers, offering practical tools and up-to-date science. 

Two bees share a moment inside the hive: a small glimpse into the intricate networks that sustain our food systems. From the hum of cooperation comes global impact: pollinators support 87 of the world’s top food crops, yet their future depends on ours. © FAO/ Greg Beals

Across Africa, Latin America, Europe, and the Near East, countries are advancing sustainable beekeeping and pollinator protection as practical tools for biodiversity, livelihoods, and climate resilience. In Tanzania, nearly 35,000 hectares of Miombo woodland are being restored alongside investments in bee value chains. Rwanda has trained over 9,000 beekeepers, 30 percent of whom are women and youth, while Ethiopia is using apiculture to support conflict-affected communities in the Afar region. In Latin America, a regional platform is strengthening cross-border collaboration and knowledge exchange on pollinators, linking efforts in Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Peru. From Azerbaijan’s forest management reforms to Morocco’s oasis revitalization and Iraq’s community-based training, countries are embedding bee-friendly practices in forest, farm, and rural development strategies. 

Globally, FAO is helping governments align environmental law with pollinator protection—developing  policy guidance for lawmakers in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. Through its “One Country One Priority Product” initiative, countries like Benin, Chile, Rwanda, and Viet Nam are promoting honey as a climate-smart commodity. And through the Forest and Farm Facility, smallholders in ten countries are gaining the skills to adopt pollinator-friendly farming. These efforts are reshaping how we farm, govern, and trade—centering bees not just as indicators of ecological health, but as engines of rural transformation. 

Pollinator-friendly farming works. It strengthens ecosystems, supports smallholders, and helps communities withstand climate shocks. These practices are rooted in science and proven in the field—from orchard rows to oasis valleys—and they show us a practical, inclusive path toward a food system that lasts. 

We all have a role to play. Help by planting pollinator-friendly flowers, especially native species that provide the best support for local pollinators. Avoid using harmful chemicals, particularly during flowering seasons when pollinators are most active, and support local beekeepers and buy honey from sustainable sources. Encourage schools and municipalities to create pollinator gardens and corridors, which provide safe and nourishing habitats for these essential creatures. 

Though small in size, pollinators have an outsized impact. They are climate heroes, biodiversity champions and silent architects of our agrifood systems. Protecting them means safeguarding species but also ensuring the resilience of our food systems and communities. 

Learn more:

Global Action on Pollination Services for Sustainable Agriculture

Yurdi Yasmi is Director of the Plant Production and Protection Division at FAO