By Melissa Maykin
Posted Fri 7 Jul 2023
Women and young people in Solomon Islands are learning about new ways to make an income.
In a remote community in Malaita Province, Solomon Islands, 10,000 bees have recently taken up residence and local keepers-in-training are buzzing to get to work.
Farmer Alison is one of 74 people participating in a new program to learn about beekeeping and honey production.
"For 1 kilogram it is 200 Solomon dollars [$36], and I can produce up to 4,000 Solomon dollars [$720], so I am like, 'wow'," she said.
The program is teaching mostly women and young people to diversify their incomes through honey production and divert communities away from harmful farming practices like logging, which accounted for 60 per cent of the country's exports in 2019.
While bees are proving their worth as an effective side hustle, they are also helping communities in the fight against climate change.
That's because they pollinate mangroves, which act as natural buffers against cyclones in low-lying areas.
Alison says food insecurity after disasters is a big concern.
When an extreme weather event flattened homes and crops in Alison's neighbourhood, her main concern was for her six hungry children.
"Everything was blown away, all the walling and windows were blown away. The floor was the only part of the house that remained, we escaped with only the clothes on our back," she said.
"It rains for a week, this kills our crops because of water from heavy rain. I wonder what my kids are going to eat for their bodies and health."
It's about human rights
There is strong demand for honey products in Solomon Islands.
The Pacific is at the epicentre of climate change.
Solomon Islands has been ranked the world's second-most vulnerable country to climate change-related disasters like floods, cyclones, and sea-level rise.
With 65 per cent of the population living within 1 kilometre of the coast, salt-water inundation and erosion of low-lying areas has destroyed crops and led to widespread food shortages, which disrupts work and education.
Save the Children acting country director Paul Green said the beekeeping program, which is being run by his organisation and local environmental group Mai-Ma'asina Green Belt, was about promoting the rights of women and children.
Mr Green said while the initiative helped communities build climate-resilience, much of the responsibility was on the world's big emitters.
"Children are going to be most at risk and their futures are going to be most affected by the impact of climate change," he said.
"We appeal to the global community to meet their commitments to COP27 to stop the advance of climate change, the threats that [it] brings … and to honour their commitments in giving resources to those who are most vulnerable in the Pacific."
Solomon Islands has been ranked the world's second-most vulnerable country to climate change-related disasters like floods, cyclones, and sea-level rise.
With 65 per cent of the population living within 1 kilometre of the coast, salt-water inundation and erosion of low-lying areas has destroyed crops and led to widespread food shortages, which disrupts work and education.
Save the Children acting country director Paul Green said the beekeeping program, which is being run by his organisation and local environmental group Mai-Ma'asina Green Belt, was about promoting the rights of women and children.
Mr Green said while the initiative helped communities build climate-resilience, much of the responsibility was on the world's big emitters.
"Children are going to be most at risk and their futures are going to be most affected by the impact of climate change," he said.
"We appeal to the global community to meet their commitments to COP27 to stop the advance of climate change, the threats that [it] brings … and to honour their commitments in giving resources to those who are most vulnerable in the Pacific."
About two-thirds of people in Solomon Islands live within 1 kilometre of the coast.
A versatile product
Bee researcher Dr Cooper Schouten is a lecturer and project lead in the faculty of science and engineering at Southern Cross University.
Bees have long been Dr Schouten's "bread and butter", having worked as a beekeeper before helping Pacific countries create productive and profitable industries.
"[Bees] significantly increase crop yields around you, [beekeeping] doesn't take a lot of time, you don't need secure land tenure to do it, honey doesn't perish, you can sell it in times of financial hardship," he said.
"It's also about food and nutrition security through pollination and [making] products where you can value-add like candles, soaps, lip balms, ointments, surf wax and surf zinc."
Bee researcher Dr Cooper Schouten is a lecturer and project lead in the faculty of science and engineering at Southern Cross University.
Bees have long been Dr Schouten's "bread and butter", having worked as a beekeeper before helping Pacific countries create productive and profitable industries.
"[Bees] significantly increase crop yields around you, [beekeeping] doesn't take a lot of time, you don't need secure land tenure to do it, honey doesn't perish, you can sell it in times of financial hardship," he said.
"It's also about food and nutrition security through pollination and [making] products where you can value-add like candles, soaps, lip balms, ointments, surf wax and surf zinc."
Dr Cooper Schouten says Pacific beekeeping programs must embrace local knowledge.(Supplied: Southern Cross University)
In countries like Solomon Islands, Dr Schouten said the demand for, and value of, bee products was soaring because climate change had caused supply to plummet.
"[Beekeepers] used to be able to predict when the honey flows were coming in so [climate change] makes it much harder for beekeepers to make informed decisions,” he said, noting that deforestation and habitat loss, as well as new and emerging pests and diseases were also contributing factors.
"It’s really gone downhill over the last two decades, in terms of the numbers of beekeepers that are there, the amount of honey being produced and the number of colonies they're managing," he said.
In countries like Solomon Islands, Dr Schouten said the demand for, and value of, bee products was soaring because climate change had caused supply to plummet.
"[Beekeepers] used to be able to predict when the honey flows were coming in so [climate change] makes it much harder for beekeepers to make informed decisions,” he said, noting that deforestation and habitat loss, as well as new and emerging pests and diseases were also contributing factors.
"It’s really gone downhill over the last two decades, in terms of the numbers of beekeepers that are there, the amount of honey being produced and the number of colonies they're managing," he said.
Bees pollinate mangroves which act as a barrier to coastal inundation.
Respect traditional knowledge
Dr Schouten said while beekeeping initiatives were well-intentioned, he warned they needed to be centred around local expertise, offer ongoing training and lobby for government funding to be viable.
"We've got lots of groups — associations, government organisations, non-government organisations — who want to do good and try to help [so] it's about capacity building and ensuring you've got good succession planning," he said.
"Beekeepers in the Pacific have incredible technical knowledge and skills and the ability to support the industry. We need to listen, learn and work with them."
As for Alison, she is confident her training will help ensure her children won't have to go without food again, when the next disaster hits her island community.
"I know if I do it well, I am able to earn money for my family," she said.
Dr Schouten said while beekeeping initiatives were well-intentioned, he warned they needed to be centred around local expertise, offer ongoing training and lobby for government funding to be viable.
"We've got lots of groups — associations, government organisations, non-government organisations — who want to do good and try to help [so] it's about capacity building and ensuring you've got good succession planning," he said.
"Beekeepers in the Pacific have incredible technical knowledge and skills and the ability to support the industry. We need to listen, learn and work with them."
As for Alison, she is confident her training will help ensure her children won't have to go without food again, when the next disaster hits her island community.
"I know if I do it well, I am able to earn money for my family," she said.
When the next disaster strikes, Alison wants to ensure her children can eat.
(PHOTOS Supplied: Conor Ashleigh/Save the Children)
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