The Beekeepers Cooperative Association was founded by a group of beekeepers from Jenin Governorate in Palestine as an official body to protect their rights, achieve their goals, advance the beekeeping sector in Palestine and improve their economic and social situation.
The cooperative started in 2017 with 15 members. Today, its 40 members benefit from its unique services and products. The cooperative involves different segments of society, improves the local production process, uses local resources, and offers international services.
The cooperative carries out various social activities in the environmental field and strives to involve more women and young people. The cooperative believes that increasing the number of women members will lead to greater representation of women and the breaking down of stereotypes regarding beekeeping in Palestine. It also supports entrepreneurial projects that help the society expand income sources, reduce poverty, and combat the high youth unemployment rate in Palestine.
“The Beekeeper Cooperative has integrated women into the local community, where the role of women has changed from household manager to an effective member in the decision-making process.”
Athar Hanaysha, a member of the cooperative
It is worth noting that one-third of the members are youth. The participation and involvement of youth have been a key reason why the cooperative has evolved in recent years. They invested their creative spirit in applying the latest technical and managerial practices that help them achieve unique results in society. The result is that today the cooperative now produces products and equipment that are needed in the market and used to be expensive to import from other countries. In addition, the cooperative has various social responsibility activities aimed at environmentally friendly practices.
The Jenin Cooperative highlights the true principles of the cooperative through its commitment to continuous education and innovative green practices, such as recycling beeswax. For example, in 2018, a technique for recycling beeswax was introduced and adapted as an environmentally friendly demonstration: The technique was developed through the development of special machines and tools by our partner organization and the cooperative. The cooperative also shares its knowledge through exchange visits to other cooperatives that can replicate the technique.
“I was new to beekeeping, but the cooperative helped me gain a lot of experience that has made me the beekeeping expert I am today, and made me financially secure.”
Islam Daghlas, a member of the cooperative
The cooperative has made great progress in the development of the beekeeping sector and has achieved the desired goals of its establishment. The cooperative’s activities promote the expansion and enlargement of the beekeeping sector in Palestine and highlight its importance, which can lead stakeholders to develop the honey value chain. The cooperative is a member of the Palestinian Bee Council, the Union of Arab Beekeepers, and the Federation of Mediterranean Beekeepers.
The cooperative and our partner organizations were also instrumental in founding and launching the “Palestinian Honey Charter”. It is the first honey charter in the Middle East and the Fourth Globally. The charter clarifies issues related to the production of quality honey with certain competitive standards and technical assistance for beekeepers.
Meet the beekeepers in Palestina in this video: