Bee Friendly Farming: How Farmers Can Help Protect Bees and Build a More Sustainable Food System
Bees need farms. Farms need bees. And our food system needs both.
When you picture a bee, you might picture a backyard garden, a wildflower meadow or a honey hive.
But some of the most important places for pollinators are working farms.
Pollinators play an important role in agricultural ecosystems, helping support the plants and crops that make up our food system. At the same time, farms can provide something pollinators need to thrive: food, habitat, water and a place to live.
That creates a pretty powerful relationship.
Healthy pollinators support healthy farms, and healthy farms can help support healthy pollinator populations.
So, how can farmers help bees?
It starts with making space for pollinators as part of the farm itself.
That's the idea behind Bee Friendly Farming® (BFF), a science-based program from Pollinator Partnership that helps farmers incorporate practical, incremental changes that support bees and other pollinators.
For producers interested in demonstrating those practices through certification, Bee Friendly Farming Third-Party Certification provides a verified pathway developed in partnership with and overseen by Where Food Comes From.
Why Do Bees Matter to Agriculture?
Bees do more than make honey.
They are part of a much bigger ecosystem that connects plants, farms and food.
Honey bees are one familiar pollinator, but they're just one piece of the puzzle. Native bees, butterflies, moths and other pollinators also contribute to healthy agricultural landscapes.
And pollinators need farms, too.
Agricultural land can provide important sources of forage and habitat, particularly when farmers intentionally incorporate pollinator-friendly practices into their operations.
That might mean maintaining flowering plants, providing nesting habitat, keeping clean water available or taking a thoughtful approach to pest management.
The result isn't just a better place for bees.
It can be a more diverse and resilient farm landscape.
What Is Bee Friendly Farming®?
Bee Friendly Farming® is a program from Pollinator Partnership that recognizes and supports farmers who take steps to protect and support pollinators.
The program provides farmers with affordable, practical and science-based guidelines focused on things like nutrition and habitat for bees, as well as Integrated Pest Management strategies.
For farmers, that means supporting pollinators doesn't have to mean completely changing the way they farm.
It can mean building on the good practices already happening on the ground.
5 Ways Farmers Can Help Bees
So, what does bee-friendly farming actually look like?
Here are some of the ways farmers can create a more welcoming environment for bees and other pollinators.
1. Provide Food for Pollinators
Just like people, bees need access to nutritious food.
Flowering plants provide important sources of pollen and nectar, and agricultural operations can incorporate forage through practices such as flowering cover crops, hedgerows and other plantings.
The goal isn't simply to have a field that looks pretty when it blooms.
It's about thinking about when pollinators have access to food and creating resources that can support them throughout the growing season.
A little more bloom can go a long way.
2. Keep Something Blooming Throughout the Growing Season
One big burst of flowers is great.
A steady supply of flowers is even better.
Pollinators need forage at different points throughout the year. Farmers can help by considering what is blooming across the farm and whether there are gaps when food resources become scarce.
That might involve cover crops, flowering plants, hedgerows, native vegetation or other habitat.
In other words, think beyond one crop and think about the whole landscape.
3. Provide Clean Water
Pollinators need water, too.
Providing access to clean water can be another simple way to make an agricultural landscape more supportive of bees and other pollinators when appropriate for the operation.
Sometimes supporting pollinator health comes down to recognizing the small things that make a big difference.
Food.
Water.
Habitat.
A place to thrive.
4. Protect Nesting Habitat
A bee-friendly farm isn't just about flowers.
Pollinators also need places to nest.
Areas such as hedgerows, natural vegetation, buffer areas and other permanent habitat can provide valuable space for pollinators.
Not every part of a farm needs to be cultivated.
Some of the most valuable pieces of a landscape may be the places that are intentionally left a little more wild.
5. Practice Integrated Pest Management
Supporting pollinators also means thinking carefully about how pests are managed.
Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, focuses on monitoring and managing pests through informed, preventative strategies rather than automatically reaching for a chemical solution.
Bee Friendly Farming incorporates IPM into its approach to help farmers manage pests while considering pollinator health.
It's not about ignoring pests.
It's about making thoughtful decisions.
How Can Farmers Help Bees Without Taking Land Out of Production?
This is one of the most important pieces of the conversation.
Supporting bees doesn't necessarily mean turning productive farmland into a wildflower meadow.
It can mean finding ways to incorporate pollinator habitat and resources into the agricultural landscape that's already there.
A flowering cover crop can serve multiple purposes.
A hedgerow can provide habitat.
A buffer area can become forage.
An IPM strategy can help reduce unnecessary impacts on pollinators.
The farm doesn't have to choose between productivity and pollinator health.
With thoughtful planning, the two can work together.
What Is Pollinator-Friendly Farming?
At its heart, pollinator-friendly farming is about creating agricultural landscapes where pollinators have the resources they need to thrive.
That can look different on every farm.
A vineyard in California won't look like a corn and soybean operation in the Midwest. A fruit farm won't look like a cattle ranch.
And that's okay.
Bee Friendly Farming isn't about making every farm look identical.
It's about giving farmers a framework for making meaningful, science-based improvements that support pollinators.
How Does Bee Friendly Farming Certification Work?
For farmers and food companies looking to demonstrate their commitment to pollinator health, verification can add another layer of confidence.
Pollinator Partnership launched Bee Friendly Farming Third-Party Certification in 2023 as a verified option to support sustainable sourcing needs from brands and retailers. The certification option was developed in partnership with and is overseen by Where Food Comes From.
That distinction matters.
There is a difference between saying:
"We care about bees."
and being able to say:
"These farming practices have been independently verified."
For farmers, that can help turn the work they're already doing into a meaningful point of differentiation.
For brands, it can provide a more credible way to communicate a commitment to pollinator-friendly sourcing.
And for consumers, it creates another piece of the story behind the food they buy.
Can Bee Friendly Farming Complement Organic or Regenerative Agriculture?
Absolutely.
Many farms are already thinking about soil health, biodiversity, responsible pest management and the long-term health of their land.
Pollinator health fits naturally into that conversation.
If you're already exploring organic or regenerative farming, Bee Friendly Farming can be another way to build on those efforts.
We've previously explored this connection in more depth in How Bee Friendly Farming® Certification Supports Your Regenerative or Organic Farming Goals.
The bigger idea is simple:
Sustainability doesn't have to live in separate boxes.
Healthy soil, biodiversity, pollinator habitat, responsible pest management and resilient agricultural systems are all connected.
Why Should Food Brands Care About Bee Friendly Farming?
Because the story of a food product doesn't begin on the grocery store shelf.
It begins much earlier.
With the farmer.
The land.
The crop.
The animals.
The water.
The ecosystem.
And, in many cases, the pollinators helping make that agricultural system possible.
For food brands, Bee Friendly Farming can provide an opportunity to connect consumers with those behind-the-scenes practices.
It can also help brands communicate something increasingly important:
Where did this food come from, and how was it produced?
A verified pollinator-friendly practice can turn a sustainability message into something more tangible.
It's not just a promise.
It's a practice.
What Does Bee Friendly Farming Mean for Consumers?
Consumers don't have to be farmers to care about pollinators.
In fact, you probably interact with the results of pollination every time you eat.
Fruits.
Vegetables.
Nuts.
Seeds.
And countless other foods are connected to pollinators and the ecosystems they support.
That means choosing products connected to responsible agricultural practices can be one way to support a food system that considers more than what's harvested at the end of the season.
For consumers, a Bee Friendly Farming certification or claim can help tell a bigger story about how a product connects back to the farm.
Protecting Bees Is About More Than Bees
Here's the thing about pollinators:
Their story doesn't end with the hive.
It connects to farms.
It connects to biodiversity.
It connects to habitat.
It connects to the food we eat.
And it connects to the future of agriculture.
That's why helping bees isn't just a feel-good environmental initiative.
It's part of building a food system that can continue to thrive.
Farmers are already stewards of some of the most important landscapes in the country. By incorporating pollinator-friendly practices into working farms, they can help create spaces where agriculture and biodiversity work side by side.
And sometimes, the best way to protect the future is to start by making a little more room for it.
Ready to Make Your Farm More Bee Friendly?
Whether you're already incorporating pollinator-friendly practices or you're just beginning to explore how your operation can help bees, Bee Friendly Farming provides a practical place to start.
Where Food Comes From oversees the third-party certification option for Bee Friendly Farming, helping verify the practices that support pollinator health.
Because protecting pollinators isn't just good for bees.
It's good for farms.
It's good for food.
And it's good for the future.
Learn More About Bee Friendly Farming
Frequently Asked Questions About Bee Friendly Farming
What is Bee Friendly Farming?
Bee Friendly Farming® (BFF) is a program from Pollinator Partnership that helps farmers incorporate practical, science-based practices that support bees and other pollinators. The program focuses on providing forage, maintaining blooms throughout the growing season, providing clean water and nesting habitat, and using Integrated Pest Management practices. (pollinator.org)
How can farmers help bees?
Farmers can help bees by providing flowering plants and forage, maintaining pollinator habitat, providing clean water, protecting nesting areas and using thoughtful pest management practices. Even small areas of a farm can provide valuable resources for pollinators.
What is pollinator-friendly farming?
Pollinator-friendly farming means incorporating agricultural practices that provide food, habitat and other resources for bees and other pollinators. This can include flowering cover crops, hedgerows, permanent habitat, diverse plantings and Integrated Pest Management.
The goal is to support pollinators while continuing to produce food, fiber and other agricultural products.
Why are bees important to agriculture?
Bees and other pollinators play an important role in agricultural ecosystems. They help pollinate many plants and crops, while farms can provide pollinators with valuable sources of food and habitat.
Supporting pollinator health is one piece of building a resilient and sustainable food system.
What does Bee Friendly Farming Certification mean?
Bee Friendly Farming Third-Party Certification provides a way for qualifying agricultural operations to demonstrate that they are meeting established Bee Friendly Farming requirements through third-party verification.
Is Bee Friendly Farming the same as organic certification?
No. Bee Friendly Farming and organic certification address different areas of agricultural production.
Organic certification focuses on meeting USDA organic standards, while Bee Friendly Farming focuses specifically on practices that support pollinator health and habitat.
The two programs can complement each other. In fact, adding pollinator-focused practices can be a natural extension of a farm's broader sustainability goals.
Can regenerative farms become Bee Friendly Farming certified?
Yes. Bee Friendly Farming can complement regenerative agriculture by adding a specific focus on pollinator health.
Practices such as maintaining biodiversity, incorporating flowering cover crops, protecting habitat and using Integrated Pest Management can fit naturally alongside broader regenerative farming goals.
What are the main Bee Friendly Farming practices?
The Bee Friendly Farming framework focuses on several key areas that support pollinator health, including:
Providing forage for bees
Maintaining blooms throughout the growing season
Providing clean water
Providing permanent nesting habitat
Practicing Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Together, these practices help create agricultural landscapes where pollinators have access to the resources they need.
How much forage does a Bee Friendly Farm need?
The Bee Friendly Farming criteria call for forage on at least 3% of the land. Forage can include temporary plantings such as cover crops, depending on the operation and applicable program requirements. (pollinator.org)
What is Integrated Pest Management?
Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, is an approach to managing pests that emphasizes monitoring, prevention and informed decision-making.
Rather than automatically treating every potential pest problem, IPM considers factors such as pest populations, crop conditions and available management strategies to determine an appropriate response.
Bee Friendly Farming incorporates IPM as one of the practices that can support pollinator health.
How can food brands support pollinator-friendly agriculture?
Food brands can support pollinator-friendly agriculture by sourcing ingredients from farms that incorporate pollinator-supportive practices and by participating in verified programs such as Bee Friendly Farming Third-Party Certification.
For brands, this can provide a more meaningful way to connect sustainability commitments with the agricultural practices happening within their supply chain.
How can consumers help protect bees?
Consumers can support pollinators in several ways, including planting pollinator-friendly flowers, avoiding unnecessary pesticide use at home, supporting habitat restoration and learning more about how their food is produced.
Choosing products connected to responsible agricultural practices can also help support farmers who are investing in sustainable practices and pollinator health.
Why should food companies care about pollinator health?
Because pollinators are part of the agricultural ecosystem behind many of the ingredients used to make food.
Supporting pollinator health can help brands strengthen their sustainability story while connecting consumers to the farmers and agricultural practices behind their products.
Ultimately, protecting pollinators isn't just about protecting bees. It's about protecting the ecosystems that help support our food system.
