Bee Friendly Farming

Australia

Everyone can support our pollinators as a BFF farmer, gardener or sponsor.

Bee Friendly Farming (BFF) is a certification program that works with land managers to help protect, preserve and promote pollinator health. BFF provides guidelines for farmers and gardeners to promote pollinator health on their lands.

The BFF Australian program is overseen by a national taskforce of Australian experts, including scientists and farmers, who set standards for sustainable farming on important concepts like planting pollinator food resources, providing nesting habitat, and incorporating an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy. 

BFF helps ensure the future of both pollinators and sustainable agriculture as it expands across Australia and around the globe.

Tree Grants – $1,000 to $10,000 on offer

Bee Friendly Farming’s popular tree grants will be back again later this year, with farmers across the country being supported to join the pledge to plant 100,000 trees for bees.

Grants of up to $10,000 are available to farmers and land managers to plant pollinator-friendly trees that are indigenous to their farms, with Bee Friendly Farming providing farmers and land managers with $1 for every tree planted, thanks to grant partners One Tree Planted and Flow Hive.

Grants valued between $1,000 to $10,000 are on offer. 2023 Tree Grants coming soon

Bee Friendly Gardening across Australia

Join to Win!

Join Bee Friendly Farming GARDEN during April and go in the running to win a free BFF hat (value $25) or BFF Garden sign ($30 value).

Bee Friendly Farming Categories

The Bee Friendly Farming program recognises, engages, and supports BFF participants and pollinators everywhere. The BFF program has three categories that allow for engagement with all participants in pollinator conservation while addressing their landscape goals: Bee Friendly Farming CERTIFIED, Bee Friendly Farming GARDEN, and Bee Friendly Farming PARTNER.

By becoming a Bee Friendly Farming member, you can help preserve and protect the pollinator populations by implementing positive, incremental changes on your property. BFF helps farmers incorporate affordable, simple, science-based guidelines, like offering nutrition and habitats for bees, and integrated pest management strategies. Program members are an essential part of keeping our pollinators healthy and food supply abundant. Join 800 other members by applying today.

Why you should get involved

Pollinator populations are in decline, but we know how to help. Everyone can play a role in protecting and saving our pollinators. Producers can help by adopting bee friendly agricultural practices and becoming certified in our Bee Friendly Farming program. Everyone else can help by supporting farmers and organisations that are bee friendly. You can directly impact our cause by becoming a Bee Friendly Farming Sponsor.

What are the Criteria for Certification?

  1. Offer forage providing good nutrition for bees on at least 3%* of land. Forage can be temporary, including cover crops.1–14
  2. Provide bloom of different flowering plants throughout the growing season, especially in early spring and late autumn. There is no minimum land coverage for seasonal bloom.15–28
  3. Offer clean water for bees if not inhibited by government mandated water restrictions.29–31
  4. Provide permanent habitat for nesting through features such as hedgerows, natural brush, buffer strips, or bare ground.32–39
  5. Practice Integrated Pest Management (IPM); reduce or eliminate the use of chemicals. 40–44
  6. Pay the annual certification fee.
  7. Complete the compliance form once every 3 years (audited by the BFF Australia Task Force).
* Have factors that prevent you from reaching 3%? Let us know and we may be able to work with you to help you meet the certification.
Email info@beefriendlyfarming.org.au

To learn more about BFF Certification, download the Australian Handbook.​

Featured News and Articles

Bee Friendly wines in the Margaret River region

Wayfinder in Western Australia’s Margaret River wine region has wider ambitions than simply creating a delicious drop in a bottle. Theirs is a long-term vision to integrate habitat conservation, environmental restoration, and organic certification for their vineyard and farm.

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The Almond Centre of Excellence (ACE)

Imagine walking amongst almond trees that are just about to burst into bloom, with bees foraging amongst nearby native vegetation, and in cover-crops, waiting for the swollen buds to unfold. This is the picture of sustainable bee-friendly practices envisioned by the Almond Board of Australia (ABA).

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Bees, bugs and beef are buddies!

Multi-generational family farmers have recently enhanced local habitat by revegetating almost a hectare of less-productive pasture. The Peel family is one of the first successful applicants for Bee Friendly Farming® certification in Australia, and they are also recent successful recipients of funding from the affiliated Tree Grants program.

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