Farmland Actions to Help Pollinators

This video has been created through County Waterford’s Creative Ireland Scheme.
Pollination, which plays a vital role in the reproductive cycle of flowering crops and wild plants, brings substantial economic benefits to agriculture, tourism and exports, as well as human health and wellbeing.
Pollinators are important to farmers who grow pollinator-dependent crops and to those of us who want to grow our own fruits and vegetables. Even if we don’t currently grow these crops, we should aim to retain the ability to do so for future generations.
We know that 78% of our wild flowers also benefit from being pollinated by insects - without bees we will lose the colourful and distinct natural beauty of our landscape, which makes it a pleasant place to live, an attractive destination for tourists, and a selling point for our agricultural produce abroad.
All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2015-2020
Unfortunately our pollinators are in decline, and the problem is serious. One third of our 98 bee species are threatened with extinction from the island of Ireland. If we want them to be here to pollinate crops and wild plants for future generations, we need to manage the landscape in a more pollinator-friendly way and create a network of diverse and flower-rich habitats.
The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2015-2020 is supported by over 80 governmental and non-governmental organisations who have pledged to deliver 81 actions to achieve this goal and make Ireland, North and South, more pollinator friendly. It is a shared plan of action. Everyone, from farmers to councils, local communities, businesses, schools, gardens and transport authorities have a role to play in the Pollinator Plan.
It is farmers, as keepers of the countryside, on whom we are most reliant to make the Pollinator Plan work.
The Farmland Guidelines detail five evidence-based actions to help make farmland more pollinator friendly.
1. Maintain native flowering hedgerows
2. Allow wild flowers to grow around the farm
3. Provide nesting places for wild bees.
4. Minimise artificial fertiliser use
5. Reduce pesticide inputs
The Farmland Guidelines are available for download at www.pollinators.ie, along with lots of tips and other resources on how to help.
www.pollinators.ie
Filmed by Peter Cutler, crowcragproduc...