Today (20 May) is World Bee Day, a welcome reminder of the critical role bees and other pollinators play in supporting ecosystems and food security around the globe.
The UK is home to over 270 species of bees and at least 20,000 different kinds of bees worldwide, but they are under threat from human related pressures including habitat loss, pesticides and climate change.
Honey bees pollinate 80% of flowering plant species in the UK, including our own sustainable orchard and vineyard on campus and commercially grown produce at neighbouring Hadlow Place Farm.
World Bee Day was launched in 2017 by the United Nations with the date commemorating the birthday of Anton Janša, a pioneer of modern beekeeping.
It provides an opportunity to appreciate and protect these crucial pollinators and their critical role in nature. As Kent’s only rural and land-based college, we know we have a role to play in supporting and promoting that goal.
At Hadlow College, we are doing all we can to ensure that the next generation are equipped with the skills, knowledge and awareness of growing methods that minimise harm to the environment, including actions to encourage our buzzing friends.
We are proud to educate the farmers of the future to be more sustainable so they can grow food that considers the long-term health of the environment, society and the economy.
One of the three key actions of our sustainability agenda is to increase the delivery of environmental and sustainability education across our curriculum, campus life and community outreach programmes.
For us, bees are the unsung heroes of our world and do more than make delicious honey. They play a vital role in pollinating our orchards and other crops too.
Without their support – and a collective of other wild pollinators each growing season – we wouldn’t have our annual crop of delicious English apples and pears.
To find out more about the College and what you can study here visit our subject list section.