In an effort to build capacity in sustainable livelihoods the GEF/UNDP Ridge to Reef (R2R) Project in partnership with the Ministry of Climate Resilience, the Environment, Forestry, Fisheries, Disaster Management and Information hosted an introductory Apiculture Training Programme in the communities of Happy Hill and New Hampshire.
After 20 days of interactive classroom sessions, several students of the Happy Hill Secondary School and farmers from the New Hampshire community completed the training programme.
Apiculture or beekeeping is the practice of maintaining honeybee colonies for the purpose of honey production or other bee products such as wax, propolis, pollen or royal jelly. In addition to being breed for their products, bees can also be kept for their ecological service of pollination.
During the training programme participants gained knowledge about the various practices employed in beekeeping through a mixture of practical and theoretical classroom sessions. The sessions highlighted the practices necessary to ensure the cultivation, management and maintenance of healthy beehives. Participants were also introduced to the biodiversity-friendly, livelihood opportunity that beekeeping provides. As an entrepreneurial avenue, beekeeping can have positive impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems, in addition to serving as a source of income to provide a level of financial sustainability to farmers.
The R2R Bee Keeping Training Programme is one of several project activities which are directed towards supporting capacity building, sustainable livelihoods and Grenada’s progression towards achieving the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sustainable livelihoods allow stakeholders to cope with and recover from stresses and shocks without undermining or depleting the natural resource base which they depend upon.
The Ridge to Reef project continually seeks to promote sustainable livelihoods and sustainable land management practices geared towards enhancing biodiversity and sustaining ecosystems of Grenada.
Ridge to Reef
