Bees and other pollinators are the lifeblood of food and agriculture. Most of the world’s crops rely on bees and we can thank insect pollination for one in three bites of food we eat. But a changing climate, harmful pesticides, and habitat reduction have put bees at risk.
The Food Front is working hard to make sure bees – and the food, business, and research they fuel – remain happy and healthy.
Woodland is at the heart of pollination industry, innovation, and collaboration. Keep reading to find out why.
Food Front partners create a unique ecosystem of suppliers, pollination professionals, ranchers and growers, honey producers, and vendors. Chances are the farm to fork meal you eat downtown features honey from a Yolo County producer and locally-grown plants pollinated by bees from a Woodland business.
The region’s fertile soil and Mediterranean climate support over 300 different crops in our county alone. Many of these crops require insect pollination, including almonds, the top crop in Yolo County. Almond trees rely entirely on bees for pollination, and they return the favor – almond pollen is especially healthy for bees. Many other crops require efficient cross-pollination carried out by experienced local pollination services that have been supporting our region for generations. Our fertile soil and varied landscape are perfect for growers and ranchers but also for raising healthy, thriving bees – a balance that’s tough to find.
Woodland is home to the annual California Honey Festival, an event that attracts tens of thousands to Downtown Woodland to celebrate the pollination and honey industries and learn about bees’ crucial role in our daily lives. In partnership with UC Davis and the Robert Mondavi Institute’s Honey and Pollination Center, the California Honey Festival features a Honey Lab, a recipe demonstration stage, a pollinator garden, and hundreds of local vendors.
Since January 2019, Woodland has been a “Bee City USA,” an initiative of the Xerces Society that honors cities committed to creating sustainable habitats for pollinators. Woodland is dedicated to enhancing awareness of the importance of bees and other pollinators through projects like pollinator-friendly landscaping on Main Street in Historic Downtown Woodland, public art projects, and a City Hall entryway renovation to create a “waterwise” landscape complete with bee-friendly plants and educational materials.
Woodland is conveniently located minutes away from the top agriculture and veterinary university in the country, UC Davis, and the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources division. The Food Front is the perfect place for the remarkable people, products, and research from UC Davis to grow and thrive.
Home to the Honey and Pollination Center at the Robert Mondavi Institute, UC Davis produces top research and educational materials about honey, honey bees, pollinators, and mead.
UCANR and its wealth of resources is also located just south of Woodland in Davis. In addition to funding research that helps support pollinators and fight harmful pesticides, UCANR houses the UC Master Gardener program that extends research-based information about healthy home gardening and pest management to the public.
A 100-plus acre campus and regional amenity nestled along Putah Creek, UC Davis’ Arboretum features demonstration gardens, scientific collections, and the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve. The Arboretum produces research-informed resources to encourage community members to plant and garden with pollinators in mind. Woodland also partners with the Arboretum’s “Learning by Leading” internship program to help train the next generation of pollination and conservation specialists through hands-on experience.