Interview of Gilles Ratia, President of the International Federation Apimondia

What does Apimondia represent today?

The International Federation brings together the beekeeping Association of 71 countries representing several millions beekeepers coming from all five continents. International Apiculture Congresses have taken place for 102 years. Apimondia was created in 1949. Its President was for many years the Rumanian Professor Harnaj. His Executive Committee inherited “Eastern” patterns of limiting Apimondia mainly to the role of organizing congresses and symposia of interest to the scientific world, but much less to the workers in the field, the beekeepers, hobbyists as well as professionals. Our organization of the Congress in Montpellier has somewhat disturbed established traditions, to the happiness of the majority. A new wind is blowing…..

What assessment do you make of Apimondia 2009 in Montpellier?

The figures, the smiles and the congratulatory e-mails have spoken: this Apimondia Congress, organized by the UNAF (National Union of French Apiculture) “Le Corum” (the exhibition hall) was the host to 10,000 participants coming from 86 countries and included 1,000 exhibitors and 500 scientific presenters; their communications will soon be available on the internet. Outdoors, on the Esplanade just next to The Corum some 30,000 persons, many of them children and their teachers, could freely enjoy the different pedagogic animations that extended more than 300 meters. This novelty was very appreciated not only by the public at large, but also by the local merchants, and, as you may have guessed, by the local authorities. Another major innovation was the organization of round tables richly animated and giving the beekeepers a voice. They took place next to the usual plenary sessions and scientific symposia. One has to acknowledge that we did not argue about the means devoted to this event: a budget of 2 milions EUR for 4 years was set aside for the congress, and in addition, at the end the salary of some 10 people, plus 195 volunteers mobilized for the Congress’s 5 days (not to mention the outside help and the fantastic Corum team). What further helped to get this event known around the world is our press attaché’s performance in getting 179 accredited journalists to come and provide coverage.

What are the reasons for your seeking the Presidency of Apimondia

Having started as a professional beekeeper in the seventies, following which I became an international beekeeping consultant (missions in 107 countries over more than 20 years), I became at the same time the President of Apimondia’s standing commission “Technology and Quality”. As I faced operational problems in all corners of the planet, I came to realize that the International Federation was too static, some times even disconnected from its basic task (for instance concerning the problems of pesticides). It certainly was not for the purpose of traveling (see www.worldbees.com) that I decided to bring my experience and my far-reaching perspective to the formidable role that Apimondia can have. And look carefully: no other animal speculation has received the attention of an international federation! Further, I have conducted locally, inquiries on the multiple factors of the causes of the decrease of the bee population (those belonging to the beekeeping practice and the external ones impinging on it). Often accompanied by an excessive mortality these development have led me to rely on three points: the economic danger for the bees’ survival, threat to the biodiversity, and lack of cooperation between the scientists at the same levels of research. This problem is of an international scale and each of its diverse parts can only be adequately grasped by a worldwide organization. Apimondia had to respond. The previous president retired after 10 years of services and I met a number of beekeeping groups from all over the world, who strongly encouraged me to run for election. This led me to get a score of 70% of the votes next to the other candidate from Ireland.

How should Apimondia evolve?

To begin with I plan to get the next General Assembly of Apimondia in Buenos Aires in two years to vote for a major restructuring of its statutes, Currently the executive committee of Apimondia includes seven scientific Commissions, and I plan to add another five professional Commissions, one for each continent.
The second step for the international federation is to raise funds, get an adequate management office and affirm not only its presence in projects led by UN agencies (FAO, UNIDO, UNDP) but also to have the NGOs address issues of development in rural areas and, very important, of protection of the environment and of conservation of biodiversity.
With the assistance of my network I succeeded in getting six new countries to become members of Apimondia (amongst them the USA Federation, this year). Our challenge is now to move from 71 member countries to 100 and more.
We have to establish a close collaboration with regional apiarian organizations (Asiatic Apiarian Association, Nordic Apicultural Association, Latino-Iberian Apiarian Group, Apicultural Association of the Balkans, European Association of Professional Beekeepers, etc).
Apimondia as a worldwide structure has to give the internet priority. I will completely restructure its site www.apimondia.org to include not only an immense database that is going to include the first-rate proceedings (reports of all oral and poster communications) published immediately following congresses and symposia, but also many data bases from apiarian associations and universities doing relevant research.
Apimondia must also support local associations in their efforts at influencing their own governments toward rescuing livestock, conserving local bee races, creating pollination contracts, financing equipment and influencing legislation about homologation of new molecules for agriculture.
Apimondia also has to address, through its Apitherapy Commission, the domain of green medicine. The hive is a formidable natural laboratory and our bees are real flying pharmacists. The two major tools available to this field are appropriate standards for the products of the hive and serious protocols of clinical experimentation.
Finally the International Federation has to become a catalyst for assistance to beekeepers harmed by major catastrophes such as earthquakes, tsunamis or violent and wide spread fires.

Taking into account the large diversity of environment, culture and technology, how do you perceive the different apicultures in the world?

Apiculture is a very separate activity in agriculture: A world of passionate people, a mixture of hobbyists and professionals, belonging to all social levels, fields of foraging not defined by barbed wires, modes of raising very sensitive to climate and environmental conditions, and, finally, products that keep extensively and that can be classified as “alicaments”. From the economic view point, on the one hand, the informal sector is as important as the formal, and on the other, -and this is something that westerners have trouble imagining- there a great many “apipickers”, people who do not keep bees but just harvest from colonies in the wild, in Asia and in Africa. And if now you add practices that adapt differentially to their biotope as varied as oasis, tundras, tropical islands, low mountains or large temperate plains, you get a world of breeders that are not only fascinating and attractive, but also above all, an activity that is essential to the maintenance of the biodiversity and the production of 35% of our food. This is so true that apiculture ought to be recognized as of public benefit.

What are the challenge to be faced ?

The first is a change in mentality: let us move toward agricultural practices that are wise, lasting and not polluting. This is no utopia; it can be achieved already today. The second challenge is to exercise a constant pressure on politicians to insure that the laws and the practices of the industry do not harm life. Another challenge is to re-examine carefully our own practices of transhumance, of selection of the races of bees (sometimes inadequate) or, further, of overfeeding. It is imperative to put all efforts on stopping the lowering of the status of honey compared to the many sweet products put on the market by the food industry. Finally all those who investing in medical research should be helped: the other products of the hive (royal jelly, propolis, pollen and venom) ought to have their place in the pharmacopeia of the XXIst century.

Which is your next destination?

I leave for Indonesia to help Professor Bambang Soekartiko in the promotion of integrated projects that include bees, soya, cows and biofuels. I will use this opportunity to study the Papous’ beekeeping practices, about whom we do not have any real data. And, coming back at the end of February 2010, just to have fun with climatic contrasts, I will visit our Canadian friends and see how they over-winter their colonies which are also, unfortunately, prey to high mortality…

Translation Th. Cherbuliez