Thumbnail Image

Beekeeping and sustainable livelihoods

Second edition

Year of publication 2011

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 83 p.

Author FAO;

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Book (stand-alone)

Synopsis (short abstract) There have always been people in communities the world over who keep bees for their products and services that they offer. Bees produce numerous products, the most popular being honey, as well as beeswax. Importantly bees provide for pollination services that not only ensure a good harvest, with increased yields, but quality of the harvested produce. More practically, however, a colony of bees provides food and income for the farm family and not only. This booklet is intended to raise awareness and promote beekeeping, among people and organizations involved in supporting small-scale farming, as a successful diversification enterprise that small-scale farmers in rural, peri-urban and urban centres can integrate into their farming systems easily.

Cite this content as:

FAO. 2011. Beekeeping and sustainable livelihoods. Second edition. Rome.

Language English

Also available in:
No results found.

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    Visual manual on good beekeeping practices for small-scale beekeepers in Africa 2021
    Also available in:
    This manual is a visual, practical document on good beekeeping practices for sustainable small-scale beekeepers in Africa. It has been designed to serve as a beekeeping training tool and is a concise, practical reference document. The manual opens with an illustrated story of the damaging effect of certain practices adopted when collecting wild honey (honey hunting) and aims to spark interest among readers on how to harvest honey more sustainably. The second section presents the reader with the main beekeeping equipment and explains how the tools can be used to keep healthy bees and harvest quality honey. It ends with an overview of good beekeeping practices that will help the beekeeper produce good honey in a sustainable manner. Rather than recommend a specific type of hive, the manual provides necessary information that will help beekeepers determine which type is best suited to their local conditions. The many illustrations included in the manual aim to help beekeepers make their own versions of the equipment that are tailored to local needs.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    Responsible use of antimicrobials in beekeeping 2021
    Also available in:
    These guidelines focus on responsible use of antimicrobials in sustainable apiculture. Following a one-health approach, they aim to protect not only honey bees, but even human health (e.g. reducing the risks of residues in hive products and preventing development of antimicrobial resistance) and the environment. The best way to reach this goal is to prevent and to guarantee the early detection of clinical cases of the main honey bee diseases through the application of good beekeeping practices and biosecurity measures. And when medicines are needed for the honey bees, specific indication is provided to reduce their impact: choosing medicines with a low environmental impact, using them timely, prudently and following the due instructions. It is imperative to apply only those active ingredients that are registered for the honey bees and that are ideally prescribed by a veterinarian. Antibiotics should always be avoided as much as possible to reduce risks of residues in hive products and to prevent risks of antimicrobial resistance. Prudent and limited use of antimicrobials in beekeeping benefits the quality of bee products and the safety of surrounding ecosystems, while also slowing development of antimicrobial resistance, which is a widespread issue affecting multiple sectors. Finally, in this document, for the first time, a progressive management pathway (PMP) has been devised for honey bees, as well as surveys were created to assess current beekeeping practices and general awareness of topical issues such as AMR. The overall aim of these guidelines is to provide information of current challenges within the sector and orientate towards sustainable production and honey bee colony health.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Beekeeping opportunity for the smallholders in the cold winter deserts of Uzbekistan 2023
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    Beekeeping (or apiculture) refers to raising the colonies of honey is hives. Honey, wax, pollen, propolis, bee milk and poisons are the most valuable foods and unique raw materials for human health, medicine and pharmaceutical industry. Another important function of beekeeping is to assist in pollination of cross-pollinated crops. Bees are also raised for selling them to individuals interested in beekeeping.
Show more

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.