Through the Quilombola Basic Environmental Plan, a social project created in 2017 and developed in the Quilombola communities in the municipality of São João do Piauí, GPG Brazil created in 2022 a project aimed at generating income for traditional families in the region.
In 2022 , a proposal was presented to the families of the territory for a bee-keeping project to obtain honey, propolis, royal jelly, pollen and wax from Apis mellifera bees.
Brazil is a honey producer, and has been one of the world’s leading exporters for decades. In the semi-arid region of the northeast, where there are few productive activities, it takes on enormous importance, as this activity presents an opportunity for the inhabitants of the Quilombola communities to supplement the income of small farming families.
Piauí is the third Brazilian state in honey production, with a production of around 8,130 tonnes in 2022, which amounts to 13% of national production (IBGE, 2023).
With all this potential for bee-keeping in the region, the project to generate income in the Quilombola communities through bee-keeping benefited 140 families. They are low-income families, who live mainly from family farming.
The project was designed to be carried out in two stages:
- The first stage, in 2022, provided 70 families with all the equipment needed to start honey production, such as hives and bee-keeping clothing and tools.
- In the second stage, in 2024, another 70 families benefited from the project.
In addition to equipment for individual use by each family, GPG Brazil supported the purchase of equipment for collective use necessary for the extraction and post-harvest processing of honey and a course focused on bee-keeping in partnership with the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (SEBRAE) for families starting out in bee-keeping.
In 2024, according to the Riacho dos Negros Territorial Association, production reached around 7 tonnes of honey per year.
The estimate is that, until April 2025, the beneficiary families will produce around 13 tonnes of honey per year, generating income in the communities of R$ 250,000.00 from the sale of honey.
Photos taken during the project sessions:
