Increased opportunities for professional development in Apitherapy sector Erasmus Project

Project Title

Increased opportunities for professional development in Apitherapy sector

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; Agriculture, forestry and fisheries; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

Today European figures say there are 600.000 beekeepers and 14.million beehives in this continent, therefore this is a great industry.
Honey is important for beekeepers but beekeeping is not limited by honey production. Today, bee products including propolis, royal jelly, and bee pollen are popular, traditional health foods. On the basis of the scientific assays, propolis is the most powerful antioxidant of all the examined bee products, including pollen which showcased strong antioxidant effects. Today, the use of bee products in the health sector is called APITHERAPY.
Apitherapy is a growing sector and a fascinating one as well. The project’s overall goal was to develop a new curriculum for an awareness of the beneficial aspects of bee products to beekeepers, agricultural, medical sectors and to aim at finding alternative solutions to know and combat health problems in Europe. Therefore the marketing of these products is not easy. Traditionally, honey is considered the major beekeeping product. Wax has played a considerable role in only a few parts of the world and propolis is even less known. However, with increasing knowledge about beekeeping and an awareness of the beneficial aspects of many bee products, the use and demand for other products is increasing. Many agricultural and medical researches have shown that a lot of bee products can be used in alternative medicine recently. The five popular honeybee products work in different ways to treat various ailments and conditions. But the majority of beekeepers and health care providers need a scientific training and information about bee products for health at both national and European level. Today, the beekeeping industry produces honey, wax, and other bee products, the fruits of beekeeping that have a number of medicinal applications. Their use in medicine, called “apitherapy” has been practiced for centuries in many parts of the world. This practice is receiving renewed and increasing attention from scientists. The development of a new curriculum will suffice to enable people’s knowledge and curiosity about bee products such as royal jelly, propolis and bee venom. On the other hand, there was an increase in the EU of the support for the beekeeping, that approved the national programs of 27 member states to improve the production and marketing of beekeeping products for the period 2011-2013.
The main objective of the project was to create completely updated teaching materials on bee products in alternative medicine.
The main targets were Vocational Education institutions (public,private) adult education centers’ teachers on beekeeping, alternative medicine and food sector, related vocational high school teachers (Agriculture, Veterinary, Pharmacy) and vocational high schools in beekeeping and environmental foundations and training centers.
The project overall goal was to develop a new curriculum for an awareness of the beneficial aspects of bee products to beekeepers, agricultural, medical sectors and aiming at finding alternative solutions to known health problems with human in Europe. Apitherapy project defined the needs of rural and remote regions in participating countries and beyond, adapted the curriculum and materials to specific regional and national needs, added modules and chapters on further issues such as scientific methods of use of bee products in alternative medicine.
Today this deficiency is a serious phenomenon and conscious people avoid the use of drugs. At the same time many beekeepers have a lack of information on the use of these products in health science in Europe. It means related professional groups (Beekeepers, including staff from medical sectors), vocational education institutions (public, private), adult education centers’ teachers on beekeeping, alternative medicine and food sector, related vocational high school instructors (Agriculture, Veterinary, pharmacy, vocational high schools in beekeeping and environmental foundations and training centers need for training to bee products and use of alternative medicine). In this context, this project solved a major deficiency.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 122613 Eur

Project Coordinator

CPIP-COMUNITATEA PENTRU INVATAREA PERMANENTA & Country: RO

Project Partners

• Stowarzyszenie Rozwoju Inicjatyw Regionalnych “Lacjum”
• Canakkale Ili Ari Yetistiricileri Birligi
• Tudás Alapítvány
• CANAKKALE ONSEKIZ MART UNIVERSITESI
• Balıkesir University