Organizers: The event is being organized by an international interdisciplinary team, which includes two local organic beekeeping organizations (Maya Vinic and Mieles del Sur), two research institutions (FiBL and El Colegio de la Frontera Sur), an international association for organic agriculture (Naturland), two organic inspection and certification agencies (IMOLA and Certimex) and a beekeeping consultancy (DECA).
Training
course:Second World Conference on Organic Beekeeping
Place: San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico
Training language: Espanol
Dates: 19 - 25 March 2012
Duration: 19 - 25 March 2012
Dates:
March 19, 20, and 21:
Pre-conference courses
March 22, 23, and 24:
Conference and working groups
Organic Beekeeping Fair
Honey exposition
Poster exposition
Cultural activities
March 25:
Ecological tours
Visits to organic beekeepers.
Target groups and admission requirements: The conference is directed to individuals and organizations which are
involved, or wish to involve themselves, in organic beekeeping,
researchers working with organic and sustainable production, government personnel, public and private training groups, development organizations, and the general public.
Training/Conference objectives:
The objectives of the conference are to:
- Exchange experiences and information regarding worldwide development of organic beekeeping
- Promote organic beekeeping internationally
- Analyze regulations for organic honey production and exportation to Europe and the US
- Analyze economic sustainability of organic beekeeping worldwide
- Carry out the First Organic Beekeeping Fair, providing information regarding financial support,
- advisory, services, and sale of beekeeping materials and products
- Carry out theoretical and practical training in organic honey production.
Participants may make oral presentations, or share posters or videos. With the aim of including individual producers, beekeeping organizations, and academics, contributions may: 1) be scientific in
nature, 2) describe organic beekeeping experience (particularly in the case of producers). A committee of specialists will review contributions.
Training
program:
During the three-day conference (March 22-24), the following topics will be addressed:
1) Transversal topics (introduction, situation, and solutions):
- European Union requisites for exportation of animal products (honey) and how other countries may market organic honey in the EU
- Sustainability of organic beekeeping
2) Parallel topics:
- Market prospects for certified bee products
- Current situation of organic beekeeping, problems and solutions
- Agro-industry chain
- Beekeeping health, Nosema ceranae and Varroa destructor
- Colony losses
- Genetically modified organism contamination in organic beekeeping areas
- Bee product quality
- Organic beekeeping and fair trade regulation and certification
- Best practices for beekeeping, manufacturing and traceability.
Courses to be carried out March 19, 20, and 21:
- Best practices in beekeeping and manufacturing
- Regulations (EC 834/2007, NOP, Naturland, Biosuisse) and Internal Control System
- Production and management of alternative bee products (wax, pollen, propolis)
- Genetic improvement for disease resistance
- Biodynamic beekeeping
- Sensory analysis of honey
- Ecological restoration with meliferous plants
- Stingless beekeeping
- Construction of the social project in organizations of beekeepers.
Visits to organic beekeepers and local coffee plantations in the Highland Region of Chiapas will be carried out March 25, 2012.
Honey tasting and judging
A honey tasting and judging contest will take place, and a committee of international experts will present winning honeys at the end of the conference.
Fair
During the conference (March 22-24) the First International Organic Beekeeping Fair will be held, in which distributors of supply, equipment, training material, and general beekeeping services
(certification, financing) will participate. The fair will be directed to hotels, tourism providers, conservationists, NGO’s, governmental agricultural institutions, beekeepers, researchers, beekeeping related salespeople, consumer networks. After the first day, the Fair will be open to the general public.
Conference site
The city of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, in the Highland Region of Chiapas, southeastern Mexico, has an altitude of 2120 meters, and is located 50 km northeast of the state capital, Tuxtla Gutierrez.
Participants may fly to the international airport Angel Albino Corzo in Tuxtla, or travel to San Cristobal by bus from other points in Mexico. San Cristóbal is approximately 1000 km (13 hours by bus) from
Mexico City.
Lodging
San Cristóbal de Las Casas is internationally renowned for its tourism, with a large variety of hotels and guesthouses, which vary greatly in quality and price (10 to 150 USD per night).
Contact details:
Ackerstrasse, 5070 Frick, Switzerland
salvador.garibay@fibl.org
Phone +41 62 865 72 82
El Colegio de la Frontera Sur
San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico
lmondrag@ecosur.mx - remy@ecosur.mx
Phone +52 (967) 674 9000 ext. 1426 o 1743
Naturland association
Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
mexico@naturland.de
Phone +52 (777) 102 9392