“Restarting Beekeeping in Thessaly” Programme

Acting as a catalyst for innovation in the agri-food ecosystem of the country, the organisation “New Agriculture New Generation” aims to create employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people in the agri-food sector, with the ultimate goal of revitalising and developing the primary production sector. Aiming to revitalise the beekeeping landscape and support beekeeping communities in Thessaly, following the devastating floods caused by the Storm “Daniel”, and with the support, among others, of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, the training and consultancy programme “Restarting Beekeeping in Thessaly” was implemented in 2024; an initiative that aimed at empowering and strengthening the beekeeping community in Thessaly.

The Programme, implemented under the scientific guidance of a team of professors from the Agricultural University of Athens, aimed to produce high-quality and more resilient bee colonies through the optimisation of endemic genetic material, the improvement of beekeeping practices, and the reduction of the effects of climate change in beekeeping activity. The Programme included two implementation phases: a) the training of queen beekeepers on proper beekeeping practices, and b) the production and delivery of new high-quality queen cells to beekeepers affected by the floods, with the aim of enhancing the region’s biodiversity and developing a specialised professional activity that would offer new employment opportunities for beekeepers, and the enhancement of the biodiversity of the region.

• 267 beekeepers from 10 Municipalities of Thessaly participated in 10 training workshops.
• 27,000 queen cells of endemic genetic material were delivered to 394 beekeepers in Karditsa, Larissa, Trikala, and Volos.
• 10 experienced queen breeders took part in retraining sessions with a total duration of 15 hours.