USDA Grant for Urban Beekeeping Education
The University of Arizona received a $100,000 grant from the USDA to develop a program that serves underrepresented urban farmers by teaching them to pollinate their crops through beekeeping and to diversify their income with honeybee products.
By Michael Pisetsky
Research Arizona
Jan 25, 2024
Excerpt:
The training will provide participants with the skills needed to pollinate specialty crops by keeping honeybees and to generate alternative sources of income by selling bee products, all the while conserving the honeybee population.
Small-scale and urban farming refers to various types of cultivating and distributing food in urban areas as opposed to large, rural farming. Urban farming benefits cities, neighborhoods, and communities by providing direct access to fresh, locally grown vegetables, fruit, and meat products. Urban agriculture can address food deserts and improve food security and safety for city residents.
“Urban agriculture has proven to be an effective and viable substitute for conventional farming,” said Ayman Mostafa, MCCE’s interim director and leader of the new program. “Arizona’s population is increasing, and we are trying to train new farmers that can account for that growth and shift in industry that we will see in coming years.”
In addition to the MCCE running the statewide Small-Scale and Beginning Farmer Program, they recently launched the UArizona Center for Urban Smart Agriculture (CUSA).
Sharrona Moore, a program coordinator hired with funds from the SCBGP grant, is responsible for ensuring program goals are met. “My role is really about outreach—getting in touch with these farmers that have been underrepresented to get them interested in what beekeeping production can do for them,” said Moore.
