This year’s national Tu Bishvat plantings were part of a large-scale project carried out by KKL-JNF and the Pollination and Honey Council to plant approximately 30,000 nectar-producing trees and shrubs. The plantings were focused on areas that were severely affected by the fighting—in the Galilee, the Gaza Envelope, and other agricultural zones throughout the country and near the borders. These plants provide nectar and pollen, which serve as food for bees and help sustain honeybee populations that are suffering from a lack of nourishment.
The most significant damage to agricultural areas began with the outbreak of war in the north. As a result of Hezbollah rocket fire, more than 49,000 acres were burned—about 12,000 acres of nature reserves, 7,400 acres of forest land, and many agricultural areas—leading to a severe reduction in blooming areas and nectar sources for bees.
This local problem adds to the global phenomenon of bee disappearance, raising concerns about the future of plant-based food production. Honeybees are the primary pollinators responsible for fertilizing a significant portion of the world’s agricultural crops. One of the main reasons for their decline is a shortage of food—specifically nectar and pollen—a problem stemming from factors such as climate change, urbanization, and shrinking agricultural zones. For this reason, KKL-JNF and the Pollination and Honey Council are implementing this expanded planting project to address the shortage of nectar plants, late spring bloom, and the summer and fall seasons, when natural vegetation offers limited flowering.
As part of the project, KKL-JNF is cultivating tens of thousands of nectar-producing tree and shrub seedlings for beekeepers.
Hagai Yablovich, Head of the KKL-JNF Seed Collection and Forest Tree Nurseries Section, said: “KKL-JNF is strengthening its cooperation with the Pollination and Honey Council to boost the bloom of nectar-producing trees as food sources for honeybees throughout the year and to make the country greener. The seedling distribution process is carried out in full cooperation with the Council and the beekeepers. In recent years, the process has been refined and streamlined to assist beekeepers and the pollination and honey sector while also providing all the ecological services trees offer, such as carbon sequestration, oxygen production, soil preservation, and habitat creation for wildlife.”
Ofi Reich, CEO of the Pollination and Honey Council, welcomed the important project: “Nectar-producing plantings are immensely important in preserving agriculture and food production for Israel’s residents, and in revitalizing farmland in the north and south. The Pollination and Honey Council works continuously to identify suitable planting areas in Israel to increase nectar sources for honeybees—the main pollinator in agriculture—and for the farmers who rely on them to produce crops. Without pollinating bees, there is no yield. Therefore, there is a critical need for all sectors in Israel to come together in support of nectar-producing plantings. I commend KKL-JNF for its longstanding commitment to supporting honeybees and the community organizations and institutions that joined the project in collaboration with the beekeepers.”
According to the Pollination and Honey Council:
Israel is home to hundreds of beekeepers managing tens of thousands of hives across thousands of nectar-rich grazing points. Around 80,000 hives pollinate fruit and vegetable crops. The value of bee pollination to Israel’s agricultural GDP is estimated at billions of shekels annually.
On the Pollination and Honey Council’s website, you can find more information (Hebrew site).