Prison Honey - Empowering underprivileged groups through teaching them how to keep bees
The goal of the Prison Honey project was to raise awareness of the importance of bees for the environment and empowering people in prisons through practical lessons in beekeeping. Over two years, 25 prisoners in the facility outside Ljubljana were involved in the project and some are already working independently as beekeepers after their release. During its inception, the Faculty of Design students generated special hive stands and decorations, implemented by the imprisoned persons themselves.
National
Slovenia
Ljubljana
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
Yes
Horizon2020 / Horizon Europe
Prison Honey is a pilot project by Slovenian NGO Urbani čebelar and is a part of FoodE consortium. Led by the University of Bologna, FoodE brings together a highly qualified consortium of 24 organizations. It comprises universities, research institutes, SMEs, NGOs, as well as city councils spread across 8 EU countries. FoodE is financed under Horizon 2020, the European Union Research and Innovation Framework Programme (2014-2020) and will run for four years, starting 1st February 2020. Within the so called City/Region Food Systems (CRFS), which are in the focus of consortium, the pilot projects showcase promising socio-environmental case studies, spanning over rooftop farming and urban agriculture. Prison Honey deals with empowering underprivileged groups through beekeeping in a Slovenian prison, setting also a model for other institions, be it a penitentiary system or day care units.
No
Yes
2022-11-18
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Društvo Urbani čebelar Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Gorazd Last name of representative: Trušnovec Gender: Male Nationality: Slovenia Function: president Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Podmilščakova 44 Town: Ljubljana Postal code: 1000 Country: Slovenia Direct Tel:+386 31 253 929 E-mail:info@urbanicebelar.si Website:http://urbanicebelar.si
NGO Društvo Urbani čebelar (Urban Beekeepers’ Association of Slovenia) is since 2020 part of international EU consortium FoodE, which is focusing on food chains and sustainability in the city regions. Within this, we’re leading a pilot project Prison Honey - empowering the imprisoned persons through teaching them how to keep the bees within the perimeter of the institution on the periphery of Ljubljana. The pilot is building on the existing »rent-a-hive« initiative to develop a new service involving the long-term prisoners undergoing rehabilitation. The pilot is focusing on regional detention centre, but with the ambition of spreading the model and disseminating the practice in the future. Beehives have been set up within the prison system and we’ve started with education of the inmates through workshops involving social workers and beekeepers in 2021. The aim was to provide the prisons with their own honey and other bee products (pollen, propolis, pure wax), create more humane and socially inclusive conditions within the penalty system, and provide the prisoners with the possibility of a new careers after the end of their incarceration. We’ve created new job opportunities and have involved more than 100 local stakeholders attending training and dissemination workshops so far, divided into smaller groups (around 12 persons in each group for greater effect), more than 1000 citizens that participate in the dissemination and promotional events, online international dissemination. In short, the objectives of the project were to go beyond business opportunities and food production as such, as they also include social activation in its core. The project offers a way to rehabilitate and empower underprivileged groups of society, to create more human and socially inclusive conditions within the penalty system. Our goal is also to test the possibilities to transfer this model into other, similar institutions.
beekeeping
social inclusivity
ecological farming
innovative design
empowerment of the underprivileged
From the very beginning, we thought about using only natural and locally available materials such as wood, to involve domestic companies in the manufacturing the hives and stands and to make benefit of Slovenian woodworking tradition. When designing the beehives, we made sure that the colours were water-based and no harmful chemicals involved in the production.
We teach a strictly ecological approach towards managing the bees and also lead this activity in a sustainable and non-invasive manner; in this way, we provide completely safe and healthy bee products for the use inside the prison, and contribute to nutritional self-sufficiency of the institution.
We approach beekeeping in a way that it does not create any waste; recycling (e.g. of wax and wooden frames) is practically 100%, food produced in this manner has 0 kilometres of transport and a negligible carbon footprint. Honey and pollen produced are packed in glass jars as we avoid using plastic altogether. After the formal completion of the project, the pedestal and the hives will remain in the prison and will be managed by trained personnel; however, everything is designed in such a way that it could be moved and reused in another location should the circumstances demand the transfer.
Small-scale beekeeping contributes to a better and more even distribution of bee colonies in the given area and improves the local pollination service; to ensure a safe source of drinking water throughout the season for the bees and other pollinators, and to save their foraging energy, within the project we have also developed a special “water fountain” for them, which is being managed by the imprisoned persons themselves, thus promoting their sense of responsibility and raise awareness about the environment and the threat of climate changes.
Since the inception we had in mind an interdisciplinary project and planned to work closely with various institutions, civil organizations, and specialists. We also wanted to improve the otherwise grey, grim, and boring prison space by installing the specially designed beehives. The collaboration with the Faculty of Design in this respect produced an impressive result: the Vice-Dean for Scientific and Research Activities and Professor for the Culture of Living, dr. Jasna Hrovatin, and her students were responsible for the specially designed pedestal for the beehives. This not only contributes to better ergonomics for the beekeepers and more pleasant environment for the bees, but has also become a striking spatial intervention after the final installation.
We collaborated with the Visual Communication Department (mentor Nataša Šušteršič Plotajs) to design the visual identity of the hives. This draws on the Slovenian artistic and architectural tradition, in particular on Ivan Vurnik and his wife, the painter Helena. In short, these art proposals interpret the Slovenian heritage in an innovative way, both in terms of beekeeping and in terms of visual image.
Beekeeping in the prison has therefore contributed to the improvement of the spatial qualities for the wider local population and visitors to the area, while the hives have practical function and feel almost like a sculpture or have a quality of a spatial intervention, contributing to the aesthetic experience of the genius loci. In this way, the Prison Honey project represents a link between tradition and the future, and between the ascetic space of the prison and the open-air art gallery.
Beekeeping, which has recently been recognised as a way of life by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in Slovenia, is associated with positive values such as patience, concentration, collective work, responsibility; we are delighted to have enhanced this with a cultural experience as well.
Beekeeping represents a systematic and planned introduction of precisely defined procedures for obtaining honey while managing beehives. At the same time, beekeepers are faced with foreseen and unforeseen problems – they need to improvise and, if necessary, adjust their methods. We initiated the Prison Honey project with a firm belief that beekeeping can represent a new approach that will help in the rehabilitation and resocialization of imprisoned persons. This specific approach allows a systematic method of actively encouraging personal development with the aim of achieving a gradual reintegration of offenders from the criminal subgroup into the society. In beekeeping, this is carried out with the aim of achieving the primary goal (raw honey production), and indirectly (taking care of the wellbeing of the bees throughout the year). Constant tutoring and a hands-on approach affect the way the imprisoned persons view bees and honey production as well as healthy food production in general, helping them understand the sustainability principle and contributing to an easier and more successful resocialization after their release.
In this manner, we have involved outside parties as well: the bee stands and hive paintings were incepted by the students of the Faculty of Design, and the hives were hand painted in the preparation stage together with professors, beekeeping mentors, students and imprisoned persons. Within the prison facility, a voting system was developed together with guards and prisoners on which hive stand to choose from the proposed student projects. It is also interesting to mention that in 2022 we have had a long workshop with the imprisoned persons on how to “rightfully” share and distribute the honey produced – a lesson in democracy.
The model of rehabilitation assumes that the rights of the imprisoned are not only threatened by forced interference with their personality, but also due to the absence of measures aimed at countering the negative effects of imprisonment, such as stigmatization, depersonalization, etc. As such, rehabilitation is understood as a convict's right, the fundamental function of which is to preserve the imprisoned person’s dignity and human potential.
Our project can be an aid to the aspect of legitimacy of incarceration (ensuring that the punishment is not more severe than the individual deserves with regards to their past actions), and in the moral aspect (helping someone who is subjected to suffering). The model is based on strengthening or at least preserving human potential, voluntary cooperation (!), limiting deprivations, providing realistic possibilities for reintegration into society. It has also been a learning process for us all since we had no previous experience of working in the prison or had a known model to copy in front of us.
The level of commitment to the project within the group of the persons involved was expected to vary; however, we have managed to establish a core of dedicated beekeeping trainees, three of whom (so far) have gone on to practice beekeeping completely independently after release. Beekeeping also depends heavily on natural conditions: the 2022 season was very successful with regards to harvesting bee-products. But even more important for us was to make the imprisoned persons more sensitive to the natural environment both within and outside of the facility, aware of the natural processes and cosmic cycles. Certain melliferous perennial plants and trees have also been planted inside the facility, to encourage bees and other pollinators. Beekeeping also teaches patience and meticulousness: from the perspective of honey gathering, these are all side results, however they are very much central to our project.
Prison Honey is part of a highly qualified consortium, led by the University of Bologna. It brings together 24 organizations from universities, research institutes, SMEs, NGOs, to city councils spread across 8 EU countries. The consortium members provided us with the background on the importance of city/region food systems and the tools for better understanding of the costs/benefit and economic issues, environmental impact, inclusivity etc.
The greatest international recognition to date is the presentation of the Prison Honey project at the scientific section of the world apicultural congress (47th Apimondia) in August 2022 in Istanbul. Over 550 contributors from 70 countries registered for the professional part of the congress and only a small portion of them were selected.
The project is running in close association with the Prison Administration of the Republic of Slovenia (URSIKS) since 2020, which is part of the Ministry of Jurisdiction of the Republic od Slovenia. They helped our NGO managing the project with accordance to the national laws and jurisdiction system. The Minister of Jurisdiction, Dr Dominika Švarc Pipan, in autumn 2022 presented the convicted prisoners, who had actively participated in the project, with diplomas for completed beekeeping training.
As beekeepers, we also need to adhere to the regulations of the Slovenian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, and are closely collaborating with the National Veterinary Institute with regards to the bee's health and best beekeeping practices.
On a regional level, we're collaborating with the Municipality of Ljubljana, which supports urban beekeeping and the activities of our association. The prisoners, involved in our course, had an opportunity to visit other beekeeping locations in Ljubljana, and two of them became members of our association.
As far as the civil society is concerned, several journalists visited the prison facilities because of this innovative project.
Beekeeping itself is an activity on the crossroads between intellectual involvement with regards to the management of the bees through their biological cycles, and meticulous handicraft work with hives, frames, wax foundations, etc. Therefore, a basic knowledge of carpentry had to be transferred to our recruits, as well as the knowledge of biology and natural processes involved. Good beekeeping practice is of utmost importance here, having the wellbeing of bees always on our minds. During the project, we had to pass the knowledge of the HACCP food safety system to everyone involved, including the prison personnel, which also learned about first-aid help in the case of possible allergic reaction. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to adhere to the health security issues and measures.
Visual design plays an important role in our project, since we sincerely believe that understanding of the cosmic cycles of nature is deeply connected to the space we’re inhabiting and cultivating. We’re thankful for our cooperation with the Faculty of Design, which contributed greatly to the result. Knowledge of architecture and urban design also helped with the choice of the exact hives location.
The project’s success is depending also on good communication practices, and elements of social work were involved as well. Last but not least, Prison Honey is a learning process for everyone involved, and we believe that we have all benefited from it, regardless on which side of the fence we’re residing.
Prison Honey is an ongoing project; so far, we can split it up into two seasons, 2021 (which was a preparatory season) and 2022, which was more focused on practice. In 2021 we gave lectures on the theory of beekeeping and involved the group of interested imprisoned persons in the setting-up a unique stand for the beehives, preparing and painting the beehives, and starting the whole beekeeping operation. The trainees also organized by themselves a working space and storage for beekeeping equipment. We harvested a symbolic amount of honey in 2021 (6 kg due to the catastrophic weather conditions), while in 2022 we have managed to harvest 40 kg of honey from 4 beehives and 3 kg of fresh pollen.
We have created new job opportunities and have involved over 100 local stakeholders attending training and dissemination workshops so far, divided into smaller groups (around 12 persons in each group for greater effect), more than 1000 citizens have participated in the dissemination and promotional events, online international dissemination. In short, the objectives of the project were to go beyond business opportunities and food production as such, and at their core also include social activation. Three of the inmates involved in beekeeping training in the 2021 season have become independent beekeepers after their release from prison and are currently active members of the Urban Beekeepers’ Association.
Beekeeping in Slovenia has a long tradition, is well organized and deeply connected to the rural way of life. But with the rise of urban beekeeping approximately ten years ago, this picture began to change: the image of hives on rooftops and terraces in the cities, managed mainly by younger beekeepers, did not match the typical image of an older beekeeper in an idyllic rural setting. In many ways, we – urban beekeepers – have been met with resentment and prejudices; moreover, urban beekeepers are predominantly using the more modern Langstrot-Root hive technology, which is well established throughout the world, instead of the traditional AŽ hive, which is a national specificity and in many ways an anachronism. Within the Prison Honey project we are also using digital scales and other modern technological aids: this approach introduces beekeeping innovations. Another thing: less than 1 % of Slovenian beekeepers adhere to the ecological approach, and we’d like to change this sad statistics with the results of the project as well.
Nor have we found any examples in the wider European area of beekeeping within the prison system. In Slovenia, unfortunately, the penitentiary system is still dominated by punishment and less by attempts at rehabilitation. The Prison Honey project is one of the first examples of how to provide prisoners with an opportunity for a better quality of life and an easier way to integrate into society after their sentence, as well as an additional source of income or even a career option in the post-incarceration period.
The project also thinks about spatial qualities in an innovative way: the idea was not only to place hives in the courtyard of the prison, but also to contribute to the value of the space in an original way, by investing in a special hive stand and a design approach to the hives, so that the hives function not only as a device for working with the bees, but also, as it were, as an art installation or a sculptural intervention.
At the beginning, we led a largely hands-on approach regarding both the theoretical knowledge of beekeeping and the practice itself, trying to get participants involved as much as possible. Special emphasis is given to understanding and sharing the responsibility, as well as to the interactivity of the project (digital scales were installed under the hives so that everyone involved can monitor the development of bee colonies 24/7 via a specific app). We are constantly keeping track of the project progress, also emphasising public communication, and promoting the pilot project within the FoodE consortium – Prison Honey was publicly presented for the first time in the autumn of 2021, and we continuously notify corresponding institutions and the media about its progress. Throughout this we, of course, need to keep in mind the privacy and personal space of the imprisoned persons involved.
An eco-friendly approach to beekeeping is a conditio sine qua non, avoiding the usage of any poisonous chemicals (such as synthetic acaricides while treating the colonies against varroa mites). We have used natural materials (primarily wood) in the construction of the hive stand, leaving as low a carbon footprint as possible during the project’s development. Outside parties were involved: the beehives were painted according to the designs prepared by the students of the Faculty of Design, and we painted them at a workshop within the prison facility that involved everyone, students, professors, beekeepers, imprisoned persons, thus also working towards the creating a community.
But with each step within the course we try to reach consensus as well with our mentees, to involve them as much as possible, and motivate them with giving them independent tasks. Thus, we show them respect and establish mutual trust, which we believe is an important step towards their full reintegration.
The pilot project Prison Honey is tested in a very specific, penitentiary facility; however, it could be in the future implemented in different care facilities (for the elderly, persons with various defects and disabilities, etc.), with the aim to provide users with opportunities for quality social inclusion, active working life, personal development, developing independence and social networks. In the future, we hope to turn the pilot into an example of good practice and show the therapeutic potential of beekeeping as a craft, vocation, or occupation, not only in Slovenia but also abroad.
Bees and other pollinators are facing a global threat of extinction, with scientific evidence showing that insect numbers have been declining dramatically in recent years, and the biggest culprit is intensive agriculture, with its overuse of pesticides and other poisons. On the other hand, it is known that in the near future two thirds of the world’s population will live in cities, and even three quarters of the EU citizens. Our task today is to think about how to feed this population, shorten food chains, limit the carbon footprint, avoid the use of dangerous chemicals, and increase food self-sufficiency. With installing special water fountains close to the hives, we’ve created an environment in which all pollinators can thrive.
On the other side, according to The World Prison Population List, in much of the world, prisoner numbers are rising – steeply in some regions. Since 2000, the total prison population of South America has tripled in size (an increase of 200%), while that of south-eastern Asia has more than doubled (an increase of 116%), and Oceania’s has almost doubled (an increase of 82%). The prison population in Europe, excluding Russia, has increased by 5% ... This is in no way a negligible group and we ought to also think about the ways how to preserve the dignity of imprisoned persons and their overall potential, as well as find humanistic models of pathhways towards their rehabilitation.
We firmly believe that Prison Honey pilot project jointly addresses (at least) these global challenges ...
