BEEXPERT project funded. A Frederician to coordinate

Karen Power, a researcher in the Department of Biology at Federico II University, is the European Coordinator of the BEEXPERT project - Beekeeping Education and Expertise for Professional Excellence - funded with approximately €1,300,000.

With the European Union-funded BEEXPERT (Beekeeping Education and Expertise for Professional Excellence) project, which aims to respond to the emerging needs of the beekeeping sector through the development of an innovative training model, the Federico II University is looking to the future of education and training at the European level, confirming its central role as an active agent of change and key support for the non-academic public in the acquisition and improvement of knowledge and skills.

The project partnership brings together research institutions, universities, trade associations and companies from six European countries-Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania and Turkey-under the coordination of Frederick's Karen Power.

The European beekeeping sector plays a strategic role both economically and environmentally. It generates an annual value of about 1 billion euros, with a production of more than 283,000 tons of honey, placing Europe second in the world.

In addition to the production of honey and traditional bee products, entomophilous pollination services, in which Apis mellifera participates, contribute an estimated 22 billion euros annually to the European agricultural and food sector. These services are critical for increasing production yields, preserving biodiversity and maintaining ecological balances.

However, the European beekeeping sector has structural criticalities. About 95 percent of beekeepers operate on a small scale, often for noncommercial purposes, while only 3 percent manage more than 150 hives. This is compounded by a marked advanced age component: only 4.35 percent of operators are under 30 years old. This situation raises concerns about the sustainability and generational turnover of the sector.

In recent years, beekeeping has faced significant challenges, including high colony mortality rates, reduced blooms, and increasing pressure from imports from non-EU countries. These factors have led to significant economic losses and made clear the need for modernization of the sector, in line with European policies for agricultural sustainability.

This is the context for the BEEXPERT project, which aims to strengthen the technical, managerial and entrepreneurial skills of operators by promoting professional networking through the training of highly qualified figures who can enhance their activities and act as consultants and facilitators of change, thus contributing to the overall strengthening of the European beekeeping sector.