Amazon Beekeeping Areas
One credo of our NTFP Foundation regarding the preservation of the rainforest is «Use it or lose it»
The rural settlers and indigenous Communities of the Amazon are more and more lacking an alternative to: either abandon the forest for living in a slum or to deplete the rainforest resources.
This leads to the situation, which no one is capable – not to mention motivated – to preserve the rainforest. To struggle against this trend, it is crucial to explore new ways for these settlers to gain their income from the rainforest in a sustainable manner. If they succeed in doing so, they are motivated to take care about this most sensitive and unique biosphere as well.
That is where the NTFP Foundation steps in and offers them a capacity training for Beekeeping. These Bees, called Meliponas, are native to the Amazon rainforest and are responsible for the majority of the Pollinisation of its trees.
To mention some of the outstanding criteria of the honey production:
- The production not only preserves the forest but increases its growth due to an increase in pollination as over 90% of the plants depend on bees!
- Honey is a very traditional product that was harvested ever since from the Amazonian Indians and even worshiped it as a product for Gods and used it in medicine.
- The native amazon Bees (Melipona, Trigona,..) are to be protected from their extinction due to the imported Apis Species such as the African Killerbees and the European ones.
- The stingless Beekeeping does not require expensive materials and is simple work.
- To work with the sting less Bees is safe and therefore suited for woman and family business, so the earnings are generated where it is needed the most.
- Good yield / effort relation
- One who lives from Honey production is interested to keep the rainforest as its resource intact whereas cattle ranching is devastating and very cost intensive.
- The Beekeeping increases the yield of a nearby fruit-garden up to 30%
- Next to Honey there are other valuable goods such as Pollen and Propolis that increase the income source of the Beekeeper.
Our foundation implements and supports the Beekeping Capacity building already in two areas, Urucara and Maués engaging over 12 communities and over 6000 Beehives. We also support the construction of a honey processing plant to bring the honey on the market to fair trade conditions. We already get requests from other communities and even Indian tribes who want to join this initiative.