Beekeeping is one of the most important areas for the economy of the Republic of Moldova, and the value of honey exports is estimated at about 10 million dollars annually. At the same time, according to the europarl.europa.eu portal, almost 76% of food production in Europe depends on bee pollination. But gaps in the communication process between farmers and beekeepers endanger the health and lives of bees. These cases are registered during the period when the bees are active and collect pollen, and the farmers have to make treatments with phytosanitary products in the field.
Lack of communication affects the lives of bees
Vitalie Jereghi is one of the over 7000 beekeepers in the Republic of Moldova. He founded his business 3 years ago, and together with his business partner, takes care of over 100 bee families. “The most important period of honey production takes place in April-May. At the same time, there is a mass spraying of land with various plant protection products. In our country, in 2019, 17 bee families perished, and another 12 were severely affected by the chemicals with which the orchards or plantations in the surroundings were sprayed. It took us some time and effort to restore these families, but we did not succeed completely. It was a blow, including a financial one, which could have been prevented by a constructive communication between farmers and beekeepers “, says Vitalie Jereghi, beekeeper, member of the National Association of Beekeepers.
According to the National Association of Beekeepers of the Republic of Moldova (anarm.md), annually, about a quarter of the bee population in the Republic of Moldova dies due to poisoning with phytosanitary products. The problem could be solved by more effective communication between beekeepers and farmers, as well as by compliance with the law.
A web application for more efficient communication
The Startup Moldova “Digital IMPACT” program of the Tekwill project, supported by USAID and Sweden, which encourages sectoral collaboration between representatives of traditional and IT industries, together with the USAID Performance Agriculture in Moldova (APM) project, supported the initiative of the National Association of Beekeepers in the Republic of Moldova (ANARM) to find a solution to the problem of beekeepers and farmers. The web application, called “BeeProtect” is a platform through which farmers can announce splashes in advance, and beekeepers can inform about the location of apiaries. Beekeepers can view on the map and how far is the land to be sprayed. In the event of poisoning, all users will also be alerted. The web application was created by the experts of the IT Company “RoyalMap”, and the National Association of Beekeepers of the Republic of Moldova (ANARM) coordinated and tested the platform.
Eugeniu Cepoi, Technical Director of RoyalMap SRL.:
“The application has a system that allows automatic alerts to be sent to all nearby beekeepers, over a distance of 7 kilometres. The information is available to all users, including town halls, on whose territory the sprays have been applied and the apiaries are located. We wanted to provide a complex solution to prevent a problem in the beekeeping field, and its implementation involves adjusting and approving laws and regulations in this regard”
Ana Chirita, Director of Strategic Projects, ATIC:
“Innovative solutions are essential in the development of sectors of the national economy. We aim to facilitate communication between representatives of different sectors, offering them alternatives for long-term progress. We believe that information technology can become an important catalyst for the private sector, which is why we will continue to support innovative thinking and put into practice ideas that could have a major impact on local business. And this fact, in the long run, will contribute to the development of the national economy”
Partnerships for the digitization of key sectors
“Digital IMPACT” is a platform that comes to encourage sectoral collaboration between representatives of several industries. The program provides research and identification of issues in strategic sectors of the national economy and aims to provide real IT solutions that could have a major impact on independent business. The program enjoys the support of international development partners.
The application, called “BeeProtect” is a platform through which farmers can announce splashes in advance, and beekeepers can inform about the location of apiaries. Beekeepers can view on the map and how far is the land to be sprayed. In the event of poisoning, all users will also be alerted. The web application was created by the experts of the IT Company “RoyalMap”, and the National Association of Beekeepers of the Republic of Moldova (ANARM) coordinated and tested the platform.
Madelene Eichhorn, Project Manager, Swedish Embassy in Moldova:
“Sweden supports global digital transformation, and in Moldova, it supports innovation, entrepreneurship and the ICT sector through programs launched by the TEKWILL Project. Thus, Sweden contributes to increasing IT skills and capacity by promoting innovative solutions in both the technical and non-IT sectors. The integration of information technologies in different spheres of life, as well as the creation of alternative platforms, can contribute to providing multiple opportunities for business development, improving the economy and living conditions in general in Moldova”
Scott Hocklander, USAID Mission Director to Moldova:
“Startup Moldova" Digital IMPACT” program contributes to the consolidation of the ecosystem development effort, driven by innovation and knowledge of the technology industry. This project is part of a broader public-private partnership, supported by USAID in the target sectors, to develop innovative businesses and support the integration of information technology in various sectors of the economy. USAID believes in Moldova's potential and in the ability of the private sector to implement information technology in its day-to-day work. We support the successful development of different sectors, because difficult situations require advanced solutions”
TEKWILL Project – The Revolution Begins!
Startup Moldova is part of the TEKWILL Project, implemented by the National Association of ICT Companies, with the financial support of the United States Agency for International Development and Sweden. “Tekwill” was created in 2017 as the Center of Excellence of the ICT sector in Moldova, with the main purpose of aligning the field with current market requirements. In order to continue to contribute to increasing the competitiveness of the IT industry and other strategic sectors of the economy, the center has expanded its fields of activity, becoming in 2019 a complex project at national level, with the slogan “The revolution begins!” The main objective of the TEKWILL Project, as a platform dedicated to the progress of the IT sector, is to ensure a major impact on the economic development of the country, by improving the entrepreneurial and educational capacities of society, but also by increasing the research and development potential of institutions, in line with the demand on the IT market.
