More than 52,308 hectares have been positively impacted in Latin America, with an increase in biodiversity of 32%, through Operation Pollinated, an international project that boosts populations of beneficial insects in the agricultural sector, through the planting of margins of vegetation for bees to pollinate.
This initiative, promoted by the agricultural company Syngenta, was born 18 years ago and is based on a scientific method for establishing habitats in crop areas, which provide shelter, food, nesting sources and transit routes for bees.
World Bee Day
“We commemorate World Bee Day -May 20- by showing our results, because if we are convinced of anything at Syngenta, it is that our commitment to respecting and promoting biodiversity is a priority,” highlighted the director of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs for Latin America North, Patricia Toledo.
The program has a presence in 48 countries, including several in Latin America such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia and Peru, and the company works, in total, with more than 74 farmers and 27 crops.
In the midst of a climate crisis where countries like Mexico face severe droughts and lack of water, conserving the space where pollinators work is essential, since they alone are responsible for 80% of food.
Thus, this project has focused mainly on benefiting the Mexican territory, since more than 77% of the hectares impacted by this initiative are located in Mexico and among the crops that stand out on this soil are: berries, avocado, potatoes, corn and vegetables, as well as carrots, pumpkins and green beans.
Bee care
The project states that through actions such as characterizing pollinators, other beneficial insects and their host plants or constantly monitoring their effectiveness – based on agronomic criteria – it is possible to promote greater biodiversity in the agricultural environment.
According to information from Operation Pollinating, this is the way in which crop management, efficient use of resources and awareness of the coexistence between agriculture and beekeeping are improved.
Other actions carried out within the framework of the initiative consist of replicating the protocol with improvements and applying it in new areas and crops, complying with sustainability certifications, improving crop yields and quality, and generating crop management recommendations. multifunctional margins, as well as the good use and management of crop protection products.
In the end, what this project seeks is to convey the importance of harmonizing the work of agriculture with the work of pollinators, helping to make agricultural production profitable and sustainable in the long term.
A vital role
“Bees, as well as the rest of pollinators, have a vital role in the production of our food and it is our duty to provide them with adequate ecosystems and promote their reproduction so as not to risk the nutritional future of millions of people,” Toledo commented.
He added that they are not “alone in this task”, since they have the support and participation of institutions such as the Sustainable Agriculture Network, ABC Sustainable Businesses and the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
