BEST PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE BEEKEEPING

Project Information

B-THENET

Grant agreement ID: 101059812

DOI

10.3030/101059812

EC signature date 7 June 2022

Start date 1 September 2022

End date 31 August 2026

Funded under

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Total cost

€ 3 271 891,25

EU contribution

€ 3 271 891,00

Coordinated by

ISTITUTO ZOOPROFILATTICO SPERIMENTALE DELLE REGIONI LAZIO E TOSCANA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - B-THENET (BEST PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE BEEKEEPING)

Reporting period: 2024-03-01 to 2025-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

B-THENET is a thematic network that aims to modernise the EU beekeeping sector by sharing knowledge ready to be put into practice and fostering best practices exchanges. The project’s ambition is to create a European network through 4 Platforms: “Inventory”, “Research & Innovation”, “Exchange” and “Repository”, which engages relevant actors to collect, organise, share, disseminate, and store valuable knowledge on beekeeping practices and research solutions at national and international level.
B-THENET pursues the following objectives:
1. To modernize the EU beekeeping sector by establishing a multi-actor network with complementary knowledge that connects beekeepers, researchers, advisors, and the other actors in the apiculture sector.
2. To collect, categorize (“Inventory”) and select good practices for sustainable beekeeping and new research findings ready to put into practice or not sufficiently known using a bottom-up methodology.
3. To create a digital knowledge platform (“Exchange”) to increase the flow of practical information and knowledge sharing within the EU.
4. To create a digital knowledge platform (“Repository”) to collect, share and store knowledge on best practices, for the long-term, facilitating and harmonizing the education of the EU beekeeping sector.
The flow of practical information will be supported by the 13 National Centres, 3 International Centres and by the targeted events (312 national and 6 international), 1 EU manual on best practices, and 1 set of Guidelines for advisors in beekeeping, thus contributing to a rapid cross-fertilization process and to a greater acceptance of the final outputs.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

In the first phase, 284 Best Beekeeping Practices were validated by local beekeepers in the field of "Apiary set-up and management/maintenance" and "Varroosis". The training on Best Beekeeping Practices are provided both at local and international level, via the National and International B-THENET Centres. National B-THENET Centres are established in 13 EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden. On the EU level, 3 International B-THENET Centres (1. for stakeholders, 2. for beekeepers, and 3. for advisors) guarantee the knowledge dissemination. B-THENET has developed a tailored methodology for the
analysis of practices considering sustainability, scientific value, and readiness-to-use based on the One Health concept and a cost-benefit ratio analysis. The first set of Best Beekeeping Practices has already been published in 13 languages on B-THENET's Repository platform. A Guideline for the Training of Advisors was developed along with an Open Educational Platform for the international train-the-trainer events. To enhance the economical viability, B-THENET mapped the consumer preferences about beekeeping and apiculture products.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The modernization of the beekeeping sector, the reduction of honey bee colony losses, national and international basic and advanced training programmes available for beekeepers and advisors, improved cooperation and the closing of the gap between practice, as well as new research cooperations are foreseen. The results of the EU Consumer Survey will help the beekeepers to better target their production portfolio, to find the market gaps, and to position their products and the linked marketing better to make revenue advantage from sustainable beekeeping. Increased income for beekeepers and enhanced resilience and competitiveness of the whole EU beekeeping sector is foreseen. As for environmental assets, the increase of the pollination service is expected. On the societal level, B-THENET might contribute to the increase of the number of entrepreneur/employed beekeepers, young beekeepers and advisors thus leading to improved rural viability. The scientific impact includes the stimulation of innovation in beekeeping along with the transition of research and innovation results into practice. B-THENET serves as the bridge between the beekeeper, advisor and wider stakeholder community and research and innovation, to span the gap between science and practice. B-THENET is also a facilitator of translating scientific results into practice, being an umbrella entity involving both academia, research institutes and beekeepers, extension services and beekeepers’ organisations both on the consortium, national, and international levels. By representing real-life bottlenecks experienced by EU beekeepers on EU policy level (in 2023: Accessibility of Veterinary Medical Products), B-THENET also reaches out to EU policy-making. By liaising with other scientific projects and networks, as well as acting along the B-KIS, B-THENET decreases the presence of scientific silos in apiculture and showcases the needs and reality of real beekeepers. Supportive regulatory framework and an enhanced international cooperation and networking is also envisioned.

B-THENET poster