Abstract
The European Union funded project SAMS (Smart Apiculture Management Services) enhances international cooperation of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) and sustainable agriculture between EU and developing countries in pursuit of the EU commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goal “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”. The project consortium comprises four partners from Europe (two from Germany, Austria, and Latvia) and two partners each from Ethiopia and Indonesia. Beekeeping with small-scale operations provides suitable innovation labs for the demonstration and dissemination of cost-effective and easy-to-use open source ICT applications in developing countries. SAMS allows active monitoring and remote sensing of bee colonies and beekeeping by developing an ICT solution supporting the management of bee health and bee productivity as well as a role model for effective international cooperation. By following the user centered design (UCD) approach, SAMS addresses requirements of end-user communities on beekeeping in developing countries, and includes findings in its technological improvements and adaptation as well as in innovative services and business creation based on advanced ICT and remote sensing technologies. SAMS enhances the production of bee products, creates jobs (particularly youths/women), triggers investments, and establishes knowledge exchange through networks and initiated partnerships.
Highlights
Pollination through insects is basic to agricultural and horticultural plants
Continuous monitoring of variables associated with honey bee colonies, including weight changes, temperature, humidity, acoustics, activity at entrance for detection of different bee colony states like swarming, broodless stage, and others becomes feasible for most practical applications
Established European or North American systems are not designed for the peculiarities that can be expected when monitoring colonies in Africa or Asia
Summary
It has been estimated that 66% of the world’s crop species are pollinated by a diverse spectrum of pollinators, including the polylectic honey bee (Kremen, Williams & Thorp, 2002; Partap, 2011). In 2007, the term colony collapse disorder (CCD) was coined for the depopulation of a honey bee colony (Oldroyd, 2007; VanEngelsdorp et al, 2008; Dainat, VanEngelsdorp & Neumann, 2012). The reasons for this phenomenon are not yet well understood, but it is suggested that proper hive management lowers the risk of CCD and colony losses (Steinhauer, Van Engelsdorp & Saegerman, 2020). The role of bees for the world’s economy and food security is undoubted and scientists, and farmers, ecologists, and policy makers join forces to make efforts in preserving them (EFSA, 2013)
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