EcoHoney - Achieve environmental sustainability through bee protection awareness, behavioural changes and farming conversion towards production of organic honey

EcoHoney – Achieve environmental sustainability through bee protection awareness, behavioural changes and farming conversion towards production of organic honey
EU Programme: Erasmus+ KA2 Cooperation Partnerships in ‘Vocational Education and Training’
Reference: 2023-1-FR01-KA220-VET-000156329
Start date: 31/12/2023
End date: 29/04/2026

The steady decline in the pollinators’ population poses an alarming threat to the food safety and to all ecosystems. Thus, immediate and urgent actions should be taken to reverse this negative trend.

EcoHoney has been developed in response to that need: the project offers an innovative vocational training to accelerate the uptake of organic techniques in the honey production in Europe, integrating into a common curriculum all aspects of organic farming, production and marketing of honey and honey products.

Furthermore, the project will conduct a large scale campaign on awareness raising towards the vital importance of bees and the urgent need for actions to protect and preserve the pollinators and their habitats.

Objectives

To enhance the key competences of farmers, producers and new-comers to convert to organic production of honey and honey products and their skills in marketing of the organic products.
To increase awareness of local communities and business on the vital importance and urgent necessity to protect and preserve the bees, pollinators and their habitats (following the call for urgent actions of the re-launched EU Pollinators Initiative).

Activities

Developing an integrated, transversal, holistic and comprehensive training course in organic production and marketing of organic honey and honey products tailored to the specific needs of the target groups.
Organising a large-scale awareness raising campaign on the urgent need to protect and preserve bees, pollinators and their habitats on local, national and EU level.
Raising awareness on the importance of honey, bees and the entire eco-systems as significant cultural and ecological element of their local heritage.

Resources

EcoHoney Learning Model
EcoHoney Training course with 3 separate books with theory and many interactive resources: 1) Handbook on organic production and farming; 2) Handbook of marketing of organic honey and honey products and 3) The Big BEE Book
EcoHoney Guidebook on certification of organic honey and honey products
EcoHoney Manual for trainers
EcoHoney b-learning platform with all project results
EcoHoney Interactive E-Library with various interactive and passive materials on project topics

Results

Revealed potential of touristic development based on “Honey and Hive Product production (H&HP) and possibilities for green and eco-tourism.
Necessary good examples and practical advice have been provided to farmers and producers on how to promote their organic products and diversify their business by entwining honey production and tourism.
Raised awareness among local communities on the importance of honey, bees, and the entire ecosystem as significant cultural and ecological elements of their local heritage.

Co-experts

Farmers, beekeepers and producers of honey wishing to converse to organic farming.
Producers of honey products interested in organic production process but again lacking complied and holistic info on the topic.
New entrepreneurs who do not come from the agricultural world: as they did not pass through the traditional agricultural training systems, they are not always well recognized or identified by professional agricultural organizations supporting traditional agricultural producers. Thus, above all others these new incomers need technical support and quality training tools to fully understand the production process they intend to invest in.

Partnership