The organization New Agriculture New Generation announces the start of a free training program on the topic “Natural Disasters: Protection and Restoration of Beekeeping Capital.” The program is addressed to all beekeepers in Thessaly and is implemented within the framework of the action “Restart of Beekeeping in Thessaly,” which started on Saturday, January 27, 2024, with the informative event held at the Regional Council Hall in Larissa.
As it is a fact that climate change and extreme weather conditions will continue to affect our daily lives in the coming years, the new training program of the organization New Agriculture New Generation aims to improve beekeeping practices and the overall health of bee colonies. The goal is to enhance the resilience of bee colonies and reduce the impacts of climate change by transferring knowledge and practices from specialized scientists.
Specifically, in the next two months, 10 educational meetings will be held in 10 different Municipalities of Thessaly, even in remote areas, aiming to support more than 300 beekeepers with knowledge and skills that will help them be better prepared to face the imminent challenges of climate change by taking measures to address the impacts of natural disasters and measures for proper bee management.
The above-mentioned training sessions will be implemented in collaboration with the Agricultural University of Athens and Associate Professor Mr. George Gora, Mr. Alexandros Gousiaris, beekeeper, beekeeping trainer, and Mr. Dimitris Voloudakis and Kalliopi Karampoiki from the organization New Agriculture New Generation.
Co-financed by the organization New Agriculture New Generation through the founding donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, and the company APIVITA.
For the provision of the venues for the first three trainings, we thank the Region of Thessaly, the Municipality of Elassona, and the Agricultural Cooperative of Farsala, “ENIPEAS.”
The organization New Agriculture New Generation aims to contribute to the reconstruction of the beekeeping sector and support beekeepers in Thessaly following the floods caused by the phenomenon “Daniel.” Having already successfully implemented the training program “Apiculture: Exploitation, rescue, and improvement of bee genetic material” in the areas of Thessaly and Evia in the last two years, for the transformation of the beekeeping sector in Greece by developing more resilient and productive bee colonies through the optimization of indigenous genetic material.
The action “Restart of Beekeeping in Thessaly” also includes the new program “Apiculture: Replacement and rescue of indigenous genetic material.” This program, which is expected to be implemented between March and September 2024, will provide support to 300 affected professional beekeepers in Thessaly by providing 20,000 royal cells. The above actions will contribute not only to the restoration of the damages caused by “Daniel” but also to the development of conditions for the future strengthening of the sector in Thessaly.
Ms. Efi Lazaridou, CEO of the organization NEA Agriculture New Generation, emphasized at the opening event that: “Thessaly is the largest beekeeping region, where 12% of the active beekeepers in the country are active, while many producers with other types of main exploitations also engage in beekeeping activities. “Daniel” caused serious damage to 40% of Thessalonian beekeepers, with a total loss of 112,000 beehives. It becomes clear, therefore, that supporting beekeeping is a prerequisite for the rapid reconstruction, overall, of agricultural production and the economic activity of the countryside.”
In a brief greeting addressed to the event, the Regional Governor of Thessaly, Mr. Dimitris Kouretas, emphasized that the beekeeping sector suffered a serious blow from “Daniel,” expressing his full support for the program “Restart of Beekeeping in Thessaly,” which will help beekeepers to face future challenges brought by climate change. “Let this disaster be an opportunity for us to start thinking about how to create resilient societies. My goal is to help Thessaly develop. We will support this effort because it must continue,” Mr. Kouretas said among other things.
“The modern challenges posed by climate change, notably addressing the impacts of natural disasters, require the mobilization of the forces of the State, Civil Society, philanthropic institutions, and private initiative with a view to upgrading preparedness at the local level through actions that promote social innovation and sustainable development. In this context, we support the new collaborative initiative of the New Agriculture New Generation organization, hoping that it will contribute to improving the resilience of the local beekeeping community in Thessaly, while also recommending a good practice for promoting sustainable and environmentally responsible agricultural practices,” said Ms. Eva Lianou, General Manager, John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation.
“For APIVITA, supporting the “Restart of Beekeeping in Thessaly” Program is fully aligned with our commitment to substantive social and environmental actions, within the framework of our participation in the 1% for the Planet Organization. Our cooperation with New Agriculture New Generation, for the second consecutive year, is of strategic importance, as it represents yet another link in the value chain created through the Billion Bees Program,” said Mr. Sotiris Pastras, Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility Manager, APIVITA.”
