Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) and SAFE Network spearheaded the Webinar Series “International Webinar on the Stingless Bees: From Discovery to Utilization” on 17 December 2020 02:00 PM Jakarta time and 3:00 PM Philippines time via Zoom meeting.
The University’s Extension Services Division livestreamed the said event on its Facebook Page where it had 2.5K views, 171 reactions, 207 comments and 72 shares and had 384 views and 37 likes in SAFENETWORK TV on YouTube as of 7 January 2021.
The webinar presented technologies generated by the university which can be disseminated to and adapted by marginal farmers, small land holders, and entrepreneurs in the international landscape. One of the technologies generated by CBSUA was the Stingless Bees Technology which was an offshoot of research endeavors of the university for several years. The webinar served as an avenue for experts around the world to share their unique experiences in order to upscale the utilization of the technology for the stingless bee’s population is not only found in Southeast Asia but in the other parts of the world.
Focused on technical environmental, institutional and socio – economic concerns, some of the salient outputs are culture and management of stingless bees, identification of species, biology and behavior, beescape, foraging crops and bloom pattern, quality of stingless bee products, and by- products as well as standards for beekeeping tools, supplies and equipment, marketing of nucs and bee products/by- products, establishment of centers, bee farms or meliponaries, organization of and assistance to beekeepers’ associations and cooperatives, commercialization and technology incubation, development, and promotion of efficient information education and communication strategies for stingless beekeeping.
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and CBSUA Board of Regents Chairperson, Hon. Dr. Aldrin A. Darilag, and CBSUA SUC President IV, Dr. Alberto N. Naperi expressed their full support on the institution’s endeavors such as the said technology.
CBSUA’s Vice President for Research & Innovation, Dr. Maria Dulce J. Mostoles shared the CBSUA Experience: Philippine Stingless Bees, showing what has been and how CBSUA has done it in integrating and promoting stingless bees in the university in terms of instruction, research, extension, and production throughout the Bicol region, in the Philippines and extending to the internationl arena.
Pampanga State Agricultural University (PSAU) Alternative Low-Input Agriculture System (ALIAS R&DE Center) Director, Dr. Norman G. de Jesus talked on PSAU Experience: Promotion of Beekeeping and Bee Product and By-Product and Development where he presented PSAU’s achievements in improving the quality fruits and vegetables through stingless bees and finding effective means to securing bees.
How the Regional Apiculture Center (RAC) has been actively extending Beekeeping skills and capabilities through research, extension, and production endeavors to different agencies throughout the Bicol Region was discussed by RAC Director, Prof. Lilia C. Pasiona on her topic Community-based Enterprise on Meliponiculture and Bee Products.
Universiti Malaysia Trengganu Associate Professor, Dr. Wan Iryani Ismail, tackled her insights on Meliponiculture: A New Wealth Creation from Malaysian Perspective showing that Malaysia also has a very interesting history of stingless beekeeping since 1980. She also shared initiatives to add to the economic income of her country specifying that honey authenticity in the market is a big issue around the world.
Department of Food Technology of Universitas Padjadjaran – Indonesia Faculry member, Dr. Mahani, SP, M.SI. talked on Experiences on Stingless Bees in Indonesia where he shared his expertise on effective, efficient, and fact extraction of propolis. Universitas Padjad-jaran also conducted several researches in producing quality bee by-products. Likewise, Warmadewa University Professor, Dr. I Gede Pasek Mangku, disclosed about Warmadewa-CBSUA Stingless Bee Collaborative Project where he emphasized Ecotourism, melitourism, and agroindustry endeavors of trigona stingless bee or kulu-kulu in Bali.
Expressing gratitude and continual support on behalf of the Global Coordinator of SAFE-Network, Prof. Dr. Novizar Nazir were Dr. Hanilyn Hidalgo of CBSUA and SAFE-Network Pacific Coordinator, Dr. Ravindra C. Joshi. Research Division Director, Dr. Ramona Isabel S. Ramirez, synthesized the whole activity in culmination.
This international conference was an outreach webinar opened to the public through the leadership of the CBSUA-Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation. – Prof. Julie Amara Mostoles