The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) marked on Saturday the World Bee Day 2023 with a global ceremony in which participants emphasised the importance of promoting sustainable agricultural practices that respect the vital role pollinators play in nature.

Pollination is essential for the maintenance of plant biodiversity, the survival of our ecosystems. About 75 percent of the world's crops – which produce fruits and other seeds for human consumption – depend, at least in part, on pollinators including bees. Under the theme "Bee engaged in pollinator-friendly agricultural production”, World Bee Day 2023 draws attention to the threats endangering these insects and the need to address them.

“Protecting bees and other pollinators is essential to guarantee agricultural production, food security, ecosystems restoration and at large plant health ,” FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said in his opening remarks at the event held on the eve of the official day, which annually falls on 20th May as designated by the United Nations. Pollinator-friendly practices “include crop rotation and diversity, reducing the use of pesticides, and restoring and protecting the habitat of pollinators,” Qu added, noting that “even the adoption of precision agriculture tools and innovation can protect bees. Using technology and data to optimize fertilizer and irrigation practices can reduce excessive nutrients and chemicals in water, which harm pollinators and their habitats.”

“World Bee Day has contributed significantly to raising awareness of the importance of bees and other pollinators and to promoting international cooperation to protect them,” said Nataša Pirc Musar, President of the Republic of Slovenia, the country to initiate the establishment of a World Bee Day in 2016 at the FAO Regional Conference for Europe. “Slovenia alone has co-created more than 300 pollinator projects with partners on all continents. Pollinators have made their way into many more school curricula, political debates, research agendas, business plans and agricultural practices,” she added.

The goal of marking the Day is to strengthen measures aimed at protecting bees and other pollinators, which would significantly contribute to solving problems related to the global food supply and eliminate hunger in developing countries.