Development education and bee protection in Italy

Since 2002 AVEC-PVS has been raising awareness in Italy of international cooperation, animal health and beekeeping. Some of our initiatives:

• 2021 and 2022 — “The honey bee: superorganism as an element of sustainability and development”, a seminar in the course Tropical animal production, nutrition and health (MSc in Animal Sciences, University of Turin)
• 2017 — Workshop “Bees, wild bees and beekeeping in Africa” at the Scuola Fermi in Turin; two sessions on social and environmental injustice at the Scuola Media Nicoli in Settimo Torinese (“Stiamo Tutti Bene” project, Compagnia di San Paolo)
• 2016 — Bee workshop at the Scuola Mugello in Milan
• 2015 — Conference and round table “The bee: queen of cooperation” at the Apimell fair
• 2014 — “Africa, bees and beekeeping”, evening talk at the Rotary Club of Milan
• 2013 — “Il cantico delle api” (The Canticle of the Bees), a theatre and music show in Moncrivello, Vistrorio and Settimo Torinese; “One Medicine: human, animal and environmental health”, three talks at the conference “Cibo sano per tutti” (CCM, ASL TO4, ASL CN1); reporting of a bee die-off in Moncrivello
• 2012 — “Congo: il paese delle guerre dimenticate” (Congo: the land of forgotten wars), evening events in Cavaglià and Chivasso with PMI-NIC
• 2011 — Conference at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale in Turin on the vet’s contribution to sustainable development; a lesson on bees at the primary school in Moncrivello
• 2009 — Twinning with the community of Kalemie, evening event in Maglione; “Come un uomo sulla terra” and “Sowilo”, evening events with the Casa dei Popoli in Settimo Torinese
• 2005–2007 — Courses for designers of development and international cooperation projects, with SOS Blu
• 2002–2004 — Talks at the Biblioteca Regionale in Aosta, evening events with CCM and training days with the Faculty of Veterinary Science in Turin

AVEC-PVS also helped revise a beekeeping manual for Africa for the NGO CEFA, and worked with local associations to write manuals and training materials on milk and milking hygiene, good practice in marketing dairy products, and beekeeping.