Protect Bees for Future Food

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has urged countries and individuals to do more to protect bees and other pollinators or risk a sharp drop in food diversity. The organization has observed May 20, 2018 as World Bee Day to increase awareness towards protection of Honey bees.

Bees and other natural pollinators play a very vital role pollination and supports pollination in more than 87 of leading food crops globally.

Widespread use of pesticides and other chemicals in agriculture are threatening these pollinators.  The absence of bees may wipeout many crops including coffee, apples, almonds, tomatoes, onion and cocoa etc.

World Health Organization, FAO has also developed the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management. This provides a framework on best practices that can help decrease the exposure of pollinators to pesticide.

The official ceremony for the first World Bee Day was held in the Slovenian village of Breznica, 50, under the patronage of Slovenia's President Borut Pahor. Breznica is the birth place in 1734 of Anton Janša, an apiarist and a pioneer of modern apiculture. His birthday, May 20, was chosen to be marked annually as World Bee Day.