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

Programme: Erasmus+ Programme, KA220-VET – Cooperation partnerships in vocational education and training, call 2023

Project coordinator: CDE Petra Patrimonia (France)

Project partners: Universidad De Zaragoza (Spain), Prism Impresa Sociale s.r.l. (Italy), Malta Business Foundation (Malta), G.G. Eurosuccess consulting Limited (Cyprus) and Pax Rhodopica Foundation (Bulgaria)

Project duration: 31/12/2023 – 29/04/2026

The main objective of EcoHoney is two-fold: (1) to enhance the key competences of farmers, producers & new-comers in organic production of honey & honey products (H&HP) and marketing of organic products and (2) to increasing the awareness of local communities & business on the vital importance & urgent necessity to protect & preserve bees, pollinators & their habitats.

The specific objectives are to:

  • develop a course dedicated to beekeeping & production of organic honey for professionals & future professionals, complementary to training contents from agricultural & agronomic education

  • meet the needs of farmers & producers for specific & tailored-made training on organic farming of nectar-producing flowers/plants, bee hives management & production of organic honey & organic honey products

  • support the H&HP producers to enter the market of organic honey & honey products

  • enhance the uptake of innovative approaches & digital technologies for training farmers & producers in organic entrepreneurship, digital & social media marketing

  • encourage the application of organic farming & production approaches

  • promote use of sustainable agricultural methods

  • support business diversification through development of honey-related touristic offer

  • stress the vital importance & urgent need to preserve & protect the bees & bees’ habitats for the benefit of the local communities & agricultural sector in general

  • raise awareness on the personal responsibility in protecting & preserving the bees as important pollinators responsible for the food safety of EU

  • enhance the competences of local community members to protect & preserve the bees & bee habitats

The main three target groups are:

  • farmers, beekeepers & producers of honey wishing to converse to organic farming;

  • producers of honey products interested in organic production process

  • new entrepreneurs who do not come from the agricultural world and have not pass through the traditional agricultural training systems.

Project results:

  • EcoHoney Learning Model – it provides the didactic methodology for the training course and the Manual for trainers. It defines and describes the base for the content development of the course & manual as well as the structure of the technical implementation of the e-platform.

  • EcoHoney Handbook on organic production & farming – it is focused on the production process incl. taking care of the bees, taking care of the fields with nectar-producing flowers & plants, collecting the honey & all processes in-between. The Handbook describes the technical specifications for production of organic honey as well as all requirements for the production of organic honey products.

  • EcoHoney Handbook on marketing of organic honey & honey products – it addresses predominantly the promotion of the organic honey & organic honey products. It provides training in marketing & promotional approaches that should be applied in order to place the organic honey & organic honey products on the market.

  • The Big BEE Book – it is developed to raise awareness of the importance of the bees as pollinators and the urgent need for their preservation & protection. It provides interesting facts about the bees & honey as part of the historical & cultural legacy of partner’s countries. It also provides the farmers and producers with additional ideas on how they can market better their bee hive plantation as touristic product.

  • EcoHoney Guidebook on certification of organic honey & honey products – it provides the farmers & producers of organic honey & honey products with information how to certify their products as organic.

  • Development of Ecohoney Platform & E-Library – it is specifically designed and used for the needs of the project. It is developed alongside with the development of the content for the course and is be available to be used together with the course content. The e-Library is a good database for further and in depth research on the topic with a lot of relevant documents & tools gathered in one web-space.

Project website: in process of development