Faces of Recovery: Sweet taste of modern beekeeping

There’s a buzz around beekeeping in the earthquake-affected Grand’Anse department of Haiti, as Ilarion Celestin explains.

“I used to be a traditional beekeeper with bees making honey in a hollow tree trunk, but then the Food and Agriculture Organization supported me to transition to a modern form of beekeeping with technical training and all the equipment, including 18 hives, I needed to be a professional beekeeper. My yield of honey has increased from around 2 gallons a year to 270 gallons and my life has totally changed as a result.

I love honey it is good to taste and is also medicinal. I can make very good money and now can afford to send me children to school. More people are becoming interested in becoming beekeepers, especially since the earthquake in August, so I am leading many training sessions.

These new beekeepers realise that even an earthquake is unlikely to disrupt bees making honey, so it this is a good job for the future.”