BEEKEEPING AND SUSTAINABILITY: THE CONCEPT OF BEEKEEPERS IN SOBRAL, BRAZIL

Abstract

Beekeeping is an economic activity featuring an important financial source for populations in the rural areas. The impact of beekeeping within the context of sustainability is evaluated from the beekeeper´s perception. Current qualitative research employed the case study, with quantitative and qualitative analyses. Data were collected by interview, observation and analysis of documents. Twenty-eight beekeepers from Sobral CE Brazil were interviewed. Data analysis was performed by the Sustainability Barometer and Discourse Analysis. Quantitative results show a 4.43 well-being index, or rather, a good score in the Sustainability Barometer. Qualitative results reveal that beekeeping is an activity that positively contributes with sustainable development: it complies with economic dimension since it provides earnings and a relatively higher profit margin when compared to other agribusiness activities; it complies with the social dimension because it is a source of labor and contributes towards a decrease in rural exodus; it complies with the environmental dimension since it does not degrade the environment and contributes towards an increase in awareness on the preservation of nature. Results show that beekeeping is an economic activity oriented towards sustainability.