It's World Bee Day! According to the United Nations, almost 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops and 35% of agricultural land.
Bees and other pollinators help create the food we eat. As pollinators like bees are increasingly under threat from human activity, we are proud to support projects around the world that promote bee health and biodiversity. Read on to learn more.
Beekeeping in Brazil
Since 2023, Bunge added beekeeping to its regenerative agriculture efforts in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. We provide 760 bee boxes to large farmers in the region, training them on ways to introduce bees into farming practices to improve crop yields. We also provide more than 200 bee boxes to smaller farmers and native people, passing on knowledge of how beekeeping and the production of honey can lead to income generation.
“We Help Bees” in Poland with Our Edible Oil Brand Kujawski
For the 14th year, Kujawski, our leading consumer oil brand in Poland, is rolling out the “With Kujawski We Help Bees” program. The program is serious bees-ness and helps to raise awareness about the role of bees in the ecosystem and their importance in food production, while also increasing the food base for pollinators. This year, the program aims to plant 1.1 million more bee-friendly flowers to achieve a new milestone: 6 million.
Pollinating Livelihoods Along the Ivory Coast
We recently launched a pilot project along the Ivory Coast to train the local community on beekeeping and harvesting practices, and women on the selling of honey and beeswax to help shea collecting communities generate a second source of income in the off season. Once the pilot is complete, 150 people from 12 communities will have received training. Besides being an income generator for the community, bee pollination is also beneficial for shea trees. Can you bee-lieve it?
Partnering with Beekeepers in the Southern U.S.
In western Kentucky, farmers participating in our Winter Canola Program’s pilot season teamed up with beekeepers and bees to pollinate canola. The partnership between the farmers and beekeepers is a win-win scenario — farmers get pollinators from the collaboration, and in turn, beekeepers get higher production of honey and bees.
When we protect bees, everybody wins. We are proud of the un-bee-lievable work our teams are doing to help save the bees and protect our ecosystem!