The Forum for Natural Regeneration (FONAR), as part of marking World Bee Day 2025, screened the documentary “The Pollinators” to educate stakeholders and the media on the threats to food security following the gradual extinction of bees and other pollinators.
This is in recognition of the challenges of environmental degradation, deforestation, climate change, drought, desertification, and unsustainable land use in the Upper East, Upper West, Savannah, Northern, and North East Regions that make up the five regions of the North.
The harm done to the environment is negatively impacting bee and other pollinators population in these regions and the entire country.
Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities.
Pollination is, however, a fundamental process for the survival of ecosystems and for promoting biodiversity.
The United Nations contends that nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or at least in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops and 35% of global agricultural land. Not only do pollinators contribute directly to food security, but they are key to conserving biodiversity.
In a bid to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development, the UN designated 20 May as World Bee Day.
This therefore informed the decision of FONAR to mark the World Bee Day with screening of the film to educate stakeholders drawn from the media, the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Authority.
World Bee Day 2025 was marked under the theme: “Bee inspired by nature to nourish us all.” hence the screening of the film by FONAR with support from Awaken Trees.
In Ghana, some of the major threats to the Bee and pollinators population include loss of habitat, agrochemicals, invasive species, and climate change.
If not checked, the continuous decline in the population of Bees and other pollinators will lead to a reduction in crop yield, which will in turn have dire consequences on food security and economic livelihoods.
Engaging the Media, the Executive Director of the Forum for Natural Regeneration (FONAR), Sumaila Seidu Saaka, highlighted the importance of Bees and other pollinators.
“Bees are a very important insect in our lives because it is one of the major pollinators in the world. A lot of the agricultural products that we have, particularly our fruits, our legumes like groundnuts, our tomatoes, watermelon, our pepper, and most of our tree crops are pollinated by bees, and so the theme for this year is for us to appreciate the fact that pollinators are important.” He said while calling on the media to intensify education on the importance of Bees.
Mr. Saaka added that the unbridled use of agrochemicals threatens the survival of Bees as pollinators and a major source of income.
“If we don’t look at some of these issues, particularly the unbridled use of agrochemicals and the effects on pollinators like bees, in future, the problem with our food production will not be about the rainfall pattern, it will not be about climate change, it will also be about the pollinators and natural pollinators.” He stressed.
