Frewoini Baume

2022

Agriculture - Apiary

I’ve always wanted to travel and work with beekeepers so to find out Global Footprints exists is very exciting. I would greatly appreciate the ongoing support of mentors and the emphasis on innovative and sustainable solutions promoted through the program resonates with my personal beliefs and commitment to a better and more secure future. I’m proud to be working in agriculture and believe that as young people we have potential to bring new energy and innovation to the sector. 

I am curious, enjoy traveling and experiencing different cultures. Historically, most cultures have references to bees in either food, song, art or literature.  Bees and honey often symbolise prosperity and are referred to as god-like or magicians - this to me rings true. Bees are my passion and I’m glad I found it at an early age of 9.

Contributing an estimated $100 million in hive products (honey & wax) and $140 million in pollination services to the Australian economy, it’s clear that sustainable beekeeping is not only essential for the wellbeing of honeybee populations but also the existence of many horticulture and agricultural sectors dependent on them.

I am a young woman engaging in an industry where my average peer is a 52 year old man - 12 years older than the Australian average (Australia's Job Outlook Statistics). This make me wonder what the industry will look like in 10-20 years if more young people don’t get involved. As we know, bees are essential for global food security and the existence/sustainment of many agricultural and horticultural sectors. Through this scholarship I hope to contribute to the industry in  innovative ways and continue to be a role model for young people by demonstrating what a captivating and innovative space the beekeeping sector is.

The beekeeping industry has many possible points of engagement. So far I have worked with bees by managing my own, running a hive servicing business, in research, informal studies and hive sales.  While I know I want to work with bees, I’m unsure exactly how. A Global Footprints scholarship which allows me to learn, attend bee conferences and bee clubs outside of Australia, be around like minded people who inspire and teach me would be instrumental in guiding my career.

While honeybees are one of the most researched insects, it was after working with different beekeepers I realised the so-called tricks to the trade  aren’t online or in research papers but in the everyday practise of beekeepers who have had this information passed down the generations. Having the opportunity to work closely with beekeepers in other parts of the world would allow me to learn some of this information, explore how/if I could add it to my practice and share it with the industry to preserve ways of keeping bees.

If the opportunity arose I would be very interested in using the scholarship to travel to a location where the bee industry was responding to an extreme event - coming from an area which recently succumbed to significant flooding, disaster response is at the forefront of my mind - how can we support an industry such as beekeeping to recover?  Is that a process that anyone has experience of and how can that knowledge be shared?

As our climate changes so must we. As we experience extreme weather events and bees becoming susceptible to a wider range of pests and diseases I want to learn how beekeepers are changing their practices to ensure the apiculture sector can be a resilient and sustainable industry. To travel and have the opportunity to talk to people, to capture and record how they care for these precious colonies will be life changing for me at this stage of my life.

“Frewoini meets the values of the Global Footprint Scholarship. She has a clear and compelling vision of a just society where people and animals can live their best life in harmony with the planet.”

- Lynne Strong, Global Footprints Assessor