What we do

Bees for Development assists beekeepers living in poor and remote areas of the world - lifting them out of poverty through beekeeping. We work with community groups and associations, raising the profile of apiculture in developing countries to ensure a sustainable future for bees, people and the environment.

We carefully track our progress towards our Strategic Objectives:

• Connecting beekeepers all over the world within our network of experts, specialists and keepers of knowledge
• Building the capacity of beekeeper organisations in developing countries so they represent their members and deliver services
• Helping beekeepers to access to fair and reliable markets so they can earn more and support their families
• Developing policy so the contribution of beekeeping to biodiversity and sustainable livelihoods is recognised and supported
• Furthering knowledge and understanding about sustainable apiculture - the science, the theory, the practice

To achieve our Objectives we:

• Encourage the use of indigenous, local bees, local skills and local resources which are sustainable, feasible, cost-beneficial, and good for bees and beekeepers.
• Provide skills and information - more sustainable than providing donations of just equipment or money.
• Advocate for policy change, on behalf of beekeepers, to ensure that developing country honey producers can access worthwhile markets to sell their honey and beeswax.
• Provide appropriate training and resources for community beekeeping activities, to improve knowledge of marketing and business, and to support a wider, sustainable economy.
• Publish a quarterly journal to beekeepers in over 130 developing countries, provided free of charge, to keep people up-to-date with knowledge of the latest research, events, different marketing techniques and honey bee disease control.
• Undertake development projects to improve earnings and build capacity in poor, rural communities.
• Maintain a global beekeeping network and an extensive information library that people from all over the world can access free of charge. Beekeepers use our network to get in touch with each other and to share information.
• Answer dozens of enquiries each week, from beekeepers, projects, honey traders, schools, government institutions, NGOs and organisations worldwide.
• Offer a service to donors who need expertise on beekeeping for development projects.