Good Practice on Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation Systems. Beekeeping as a Model of Integrating STEM Solutions in Schools

Chile is a leading country in food exports, where beekeeping plays a fundamental role with more than 1 300 000 hives supporting food production through pollination. Good practices must be addressed from generation to generation of beekeepers to promote the healthy and active hives for the provision of systemic pollination services. However, beekeeping across the country has few technological innovations associated with the activity, there has been a reduction in the number of beekeepers due to the lack of cultivating the next generation and young people often have limited insight and interest in beekeeping.

The alliance between the Honeypro company, beekeepers and the Public Education Institution of San Nicolás district in the Ñuble region, Chile, uses beekeeping as a production model with high school students from areas where there are nutritional and environmental emergencies. The project encourages the students to incorporate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), biotechnological and IOT (Internet of things) solutions to solve beekeeping problems, which promotes scientific training and interaction between community actors in rural environments.

It is expected that this extracurricular training will allow connecting beekeeping with young generations and encourage curiosity for developing new tools applicable to beekeeping, based on science and innovation.