Our complex food system relies on the work of bees pollinating our fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Throughout the country, the honey bee population has been decreasing, threatening our agricultural systems and the diversity of our farmland. With the introduction of new and resilient pesticides, increases in large scale monoculture farming, and the influence of corporate interests over the EPA and USDA came the decline of the honey bee. The Pollinators follows beekeepers as they transport colonies of bees across America’s farmland, struggling to meet the demands to sustain our current level of food production. With most of the work of transporting bees being done at night, most of America never sees this integral piece of our food system. Farmers, scientist, and academics offer up perspectives on ways we can change and improve our agricultural systems to establish more sustainable practices that will protect our food diversity and quality of produce for future generations. -MR
Co-presented by San Francisco Green Film Festival