The role of beekeeping in development

Sustainable beekeeping practice is a significant development tool in rural areas and particularly for Least Developed Countries because:

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1. it can generate income for the landless rural poor and for undercapitalised small- to medium-size family farms;
2. it can represent a source of income and therefore improve food hygiene and safety, especially in marginal agricultural production areas and in or near protected nature reserves.1 Moreover, it provides important nutritional supplements to local diets;
3. it is suitable for men and women alike;
4. it offers significant income in trade and value-adding; it can promote rural development, including for small scale enterprises through the production of beekeeping equipment (hives, bee suits, centrifuges, etc.) and processing of beekeeping products (honey-based beverages, candles, cosmetics, etc.);
5. it ensures permanently available natural remedies within the local health care (apitherapy) and supplements (nutrition);
6. it contributes towards increasing pollination and, as such, enhances the quality and quantity of fruit and seed production;
7. it maintains biodiversity and preserves the natural habitat in land-use planning, such as avoiding the felling of trees on which bees forage.

Because of its multi-purpose role and the crucial position of the honey bee in the food chain, beekeeping should be an integral part of rural development strategies and policies, not only for

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1. the direct benefit of human well-being (MDG Millemnium goals 1 & 7²), but also for
2. the parallel environmental services it provides – pollination, pollinator protection, biodiversity conservation and, indirectly, reduced and more responsible pesticide applications because of increased awareness.

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(Extract from Memorandum approved in Brussels, 26 March 2010 following the International Seminar "Beekeeping and Development: Diversity of Initiatives and Interest for a Network ")

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¹ Honey and other products of the hive may be qualified as non-wood forest products (NWFP). Defined by the FAO, 1999: “Non-wood forest products are goods of biological origin other than wood, derived from forests, other woodland areas, and from trees outside of forests”.

² MDG – Millennium Development Goals 1 End Poverty and Hunger & 7 Environmental Sustainability and, to a lesser extent, 3 Gender Equality and 4 Child health http://www.un.org/fr/millenniumgoals