The Role of Beekeeping in the Generation of Goods and Services: The Interrelation between Environmental, Socioeconomic, and Sociocultural Utilities

Abstract

Honey bees and beekeeping belong to a large enterprise where the managers are the beekeepers, the workers are the bees, and the products generated are ecosystem goods and services, mostly intangible. Evidence for a reduction in the number of pollinating insects in the planet due to causes that are still being studied has put the spotlight on beekeeping activity and bees (wild and managed) due to their extraordinary capacity to contribute to pollination. The aim of the present work was to detect, identify, and analyze the set of environmental, socioeconomic, and sociocultural utilities (goods and services) generated by honey bees and beekeeping in order to identify possible interrelationships between them. The aim was to demonstrate that these utilities, far from being watertight, are interconnected, which will help to increase their value and highlight their positive externalities (genetic diversity and landscape, among others). This research begins with an overview of some seminal articles, published mainly in the last three years, which were searched following a review using keywords in major databases. After reading the seminal articles and others that were referenced, we analyzed the main utilities generated by honey bees and the possible relationships between them. The main contribution of our results is the determination that the generated utilities are interrelated, which could contribute to increasing their value. In addition, we found that, of the three interrelated dimensions, the socioeconomic dimension encompasses the environmental and sociocultural dimensions. The article ends by proposing future lines of research.

Key Result Objectives in Geographical Indications:

“…When companies are involved in GIs, they may see an increase in their financial results in the short term given the benefits of being part of a GI environment. It is worth noting that the authors point to improved outcomes through interaction with training strategies and new production technologies (ETXEGARAI-LEGARRETA; SANCHEZ-FAMOSO, 2022).…”

Adoption of Modern Hive Beekeeping Technology: Evidence from Ethiopia

“…Beekeeping has a number of benefits that help farmers improve their quality of life [66][67][68][69]. The following is a summary of the socioeconomic impact of beekeeping, as well as the primary hive products and the relevance of beekeeping.…”

“…The plot size, previous experience with fertilizer, fertilizer supply, farm size, amount of rainfall, household size, and the ratio of the price of the main crop to the cost of fertilizer, as well as access to credit, were identified as factors that restrict the demand for fertilizer among arable crop farmers by ref. [ 67 ] in Ethiopia and [ 85 ] in Sub-Saharan Africa. Credit, farm size, risk, labor availability, human capital, land tenure, and education, according to Feder et al [ 81 ] in their research report, are the main determinants determining technological adoption.…”

“…Farmers' adoption behavior is influenced by land-related characteristics, as land holding is an important unit where agricultural operations occur. Many adoption studies found that the size of a farm was positively associated with the adoption of upgraded technologies [47,67]. Another element is the availability of credit for the acquisition of agricultural technologies.…”

Beekeeping as a Tool for Sustainable Rural Development

“…In general, the land factor is used for primary agricultural activities; however, beekeeping does not use land directly, rather focusing on other basic resources or capital: natural (honey bees, flowering plants, and water, among other things), human (experience, skills, and knowledge), material or physical (facilities, transportation, water, and energy), social (help from friends, family, social networks, associations, marketing information, and research results), and economic (cash, accessibility to loans, and subsidies) [14] (Figure 1). Despite its potential benefits, the integration of apiculture into rural development initiatives is not without challenges.…”