Last week, the Slovenian Beekeeping Academy, together with the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, hosted five beekeepers from Bosnia and Herzegovina 🐝 – survivors of landmines – who took part in the Train the Trainers programme led by Mitja Smrdel and Marija Sivec. Their journey is an inspiring example of resilience and a testament to how beekeeping can create new opportunities for healing, empowerment, and community building. 🌍💛
Over the course of five days, participants were introduced to best practices of Slovenian beekeeping, including a visit to Plečnik’s beehive at Ljubljana Castle, and took part in hands-on trainings with experienced experts. The programme covered topics such as:
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preparing bees for overwintering 🐝,
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beekeeping techniques with AŽ hives,
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apipedagogy,
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bee health,
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spring development of bee colonies.
In addition to the professional programme, the study visit also included networking, cultural visits, and the discovery of Slovenian cuisine.
The ToT study visit successfully combined theory, practice, and community, contributing to the transfer of knowledge and empowering trainers to share these skills within their local communities.
We are proud that this important work was carried out with the support of the Slovenian Beekeeping Academy and the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia (KIS), as well as with the backing of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia 🇸🇮.
The project is supported by the Republic of Slovenia within the framework of its international development cooperation and humanitarian aid programme Slovenian Aid, through ITF Enhancing Human Security. 🐝
