Beekeeping has been practised for generations, however in these times of climate change, it is more important than ever to preserve this practice in order to prevent biodiversity from withering out completely.
Founded with the mission of using bees’ potential to alleviate poverty and increase biodiversity. Bees For Development is a global charity and the first specialised beekeeping organisation that promotes beekeeping as a way to improve people’s lives.
A practice of the poor?
When the organisation was founded in 1993, beekeeping was considered a minor activity, however its importance for world food security has expanded dramatically since then.
Based in Monmouth, UK, Bees for Development has assisted thousands of impoverished and rural families improve their financial situation. It began as an information-delivery organisation.
Environmental issues, trade, apiculture research and technical aspects, feasibility studies, training and extension work, market analysis, and project design, planning, implementation, management, and evaluation are all areas of work.
The organisation also assists beekeepers in finding a fair and reliable market for their produce.
Furthermore, their approaches are completely sustainable. They strengthen the capabilities of organisations in partner nations so that they can take the lead in the development of their own communities, making beekeeping socially sustainable. In order for beekeeping to be economically sustainable , low-cost and locally available inputs are promoted, such as the utilisation of readily available local resources for beehives and other inputs. They also oppose beekeeping procedures that compromise the bees’ collective immune systems in order to make beekeeping environmentally sustainable.
Places of action
The organisation is active in some of the most economically backward countries of the world. They have teams in Ethiopia, Ghana and Uganda and also work in Central and South East Asia, Eastern Europe and Central and South America.
They have successfully operated in over 50 countries throughout the world.
The impactful work they do
The organisation provides information about different methods of beekeeping, they have a published Journal that was started 40 years ago and made digitally available in 2021 for free of cost access that focuses on various beekeeping technologies while also sharing lessons learnt in different countries.
Bees for Development also organises beekeeping safaris and gives comprehensive training in sustainable beekeeping resources to beekeepers all around the world, with a focus on regionally suitable skills.
The organisation’s training programme has educated over 5000 people on topics ranging from bee hive construction, apiary setup, apiary management, and honey harvesting through processing, storing, and marketing.
Learning to be an independent beekeeper takes roughly two years.
They have planted over a hundred thousand trees in Ethiopia to help repair devastated environments. In the year 2020, sixty hectares of land in the region was restored.
In Ysala, Ethiopia they are restoring the area by tree planting, gully stabilisation and by closing off the area to cattle grazing, The work is being done by the community with cooperation from the government and financing from Rowse Honey.
Many smallholder farmers in Ghana plant cashew, yet their lives are still difficult; however, in 2020, the organisation aided these individuals in establishing over 1000 honey bee colonies in their cashew orchards through their Cashew, Bees, and Livelihoods Projects. The cashew yield increased by 50% as a result of the pollination provided by the bees. A better cashew yield and honey profits helped 185 farmers improve their living conditions.
A honey and beeswax processing and trading facility has also been successfully established in Ghana. This lucrative social venture not only enhances people’s lives, but also creates opportunities for training and employment.
The Uganda National Apiculture Development Organisation also has an experienced team that works to provide disability-specific training for blind and deaf people, empowering them economically and socially. As of 2021, 336 persons with impairments have gained benefit in the beekeeping sector.
Read More: SheKeeper Program empowers women in shea-producing communities to adopt Beekeeping
