Diversification as a tool for sustainable beekeeping: are international standards a bottleneck?
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abstract
Climate changes and global market are two major stressors on beekeeping,
particularly in European countries, demanding a different approach from the beekeeper
side to guarantee the sustainability of the activity. The frequent changes in weather
conditions modify all the behaviours that support the bee’s actions, from deregulations
in the flowering calendar arising from changes in rain frequency or average
temperatures, to the disappearance of many plants due to global warming and forest
fires. In addition, the easy mobility of cargo all around the world enables the spreading
of pests and diseases, at the same time that allows an unpredictable fluctuation on the
market value of bee products.
Those threats induces an even bigger problem in apiculture since the majority of
European beekeepers are focused solely on the production of honey, and so, as any
farm depending on a single cultivar, there is no alternative to overcome a specific
handicap in the production or in the market. The answer for a sustainable beekeeping
can be found within the hive, and relies on diversification. Rather than explore just honey,
beekeeper must look to the colony as a factory for many different products which can
supply final consumers, but also the food industry, cosmetics, pharmaceutics and even
medical care or tourism. Products such as pollen, propolis, beeswax, royal jelly, or even
beebread, bee brood, bee venom or api-tourism represents a potential add value and,
explored together with honey production, will enhance the resilience of beekeeping
against external inputs.
As for any product introduced in the market, particularly for industrial propose or for
human consumption, its systematic use requires a clear knowledge of its quality and
impact, and so, there is need for standardization. The quality standards for honey are
accepted worldwide but that is not the case for the other bee products, where only
national guidelines can be found for some countries around the globe. The inexistence
of recognized standards is a handicap for international trade, and makes difficult the
adoption of production practises from beekeepers behalf. It is therefore critical to link the
different international organizations such as ISO, EU, APIMONDIA, IHC and others, and
to promote the establishment of international reliable standards.
