About Us
On Mission to ignite apiculture in Barbados
What we do
Our mission
Our Story
The Barbados Beekeepers Association met for the first time at the Barbados Agricultural Society headquarters on Oct. 16, 2010 with Mr. Christopher Gill as its first elected president. The members of that first meeting agreed that supporting activities which served to further develop the apiculture industry was necessary in order for the Association to be effective. Among the Association’s main objectives is the promotion and development of the apiculture industry as a viable commercial enterprise, with the main focus on honey production.
About the Barbados Apiculture Association
Our MISSION
The BAA has been formed to advance Apiculture in Barbados. Our Mission Statement is as follows:
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To promote, develop and encourage continued investment in the apicultural industry of Barbados to the benefit of all interested parties and participants.
Our Leadership
Meet the visionary leadership of the Barbados Apiculture Association. Bios for our team can be seen under 'About' BAA
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BAA is managed by a Committee of Management comprised of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and four members who shall be elected from among the membership and shall be elected annually. See more about our leadership under 'About' BAA
Our Membership
Discover the benefits and opportunities of being a member of the Barbados Apiculture Association.
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Membership of the Association is open to any person actively engaged in the apicultural industry and granted on the basis of a paid annual fee, adjusted by the Committee of Management and confirmed at the Annual General Meeting. All applications for membership must be approved by the Committee of Management before admission. The Committee’s authority to allow or refuse membership to any applicant is absolute.
Our History
Learn how the Barbados Apiculture Association got started and what drives its 10 years plus of service.
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The Barbados Beekeepers Association met for the first time at the Barbados Agricultural Society headquarters on Oct. 16, 2010 with Mr. Christopher Gill as its first elected president. The Association mainly focused on honey production. On April 30, 2016 the Barbados Beekeepers Association became the Barbados Apicultural Association (BAA) citing a need to include all activities essential to the development of a beekeeping industry. The Association now focuses on other products and services such as wax, pollen and crop pollination in addition to honey production..
What’s in a name?
On April 30, 2016 the name of the Barbados Beekeepers Association was changed to the Barbados Apicultural Association (BAA) due to a growing need for a more inclusive approach, emphasizing the importance of including all activities essential to the development and maintenance of a beekeeping industry. Now, other products and services (e.g.beeswax, pollen, crop pollination, api- tourism) would be the focus in addition to the already established honey production.
Our Mission & Approach
Since 2019, due to the potential for great economic benefit to individuals as well as benefits to the environment, there has been a renewed interest in apiculture in Barbados and an increase in membership of the BAA, further resulting in both an increase in local bee products and an increase in the bee population which, up to that point, had been rapidly declining worldwide. Throughout the world bees have a critical role to play in most terrestrial ecosystems.
The BAA is open to any and all who wish to make a sincere contribution to the development and strengthening of the industry, from hobbyists to large scale producers.
Our Leadership
Damien Hinds
President
I became actively involved in beekeeping in 2015 when through my work at Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)…
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supported a “Perm-apiculture” workshop. My interest in beekeeping stems from the critical role bees play to human existence and ensuring that the lives and livelihoods of the bees (as the suppliers of lower and middle management of production) are protected and treated as priority.
My vision is to see “natural” Barbadian honey and other hive products of the highest quality consumed extensively in Barbados and shared with other parts of the world.
Glenroy Blackman
Vice President
Beekeeping was part of my agriculture program at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic at the time, …
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from then my curiosity of bees grew. In 2018 I got my first hive from a fellow member of the BAA, David Atherley, who also gave some great advice on how to care of my new hive.
Hopes for the Future: to become a mentor to aspiring new beekeepers and grow my apiary into a commercial enterprise.
Ayanna Young Marshall
Secretary
Ayanna Young Marshall started beekeeping in 2019. As a herbalist she is passionate about the health and wellness role bees and honey play.
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As an attorney-at-law she will be helping inform the legal-regulatory framework for apiculture in Barbados.
Kamara J.R. Rhynd
Committee Floor Member
I always found bees fascinating but my interest in them was peaked during post-graduate studies in wild animal…
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… health when they were discussing bees, bee health, and their importance in pollination. I decided in 2018 to get involved with the BAA to learn more about how to get into beekeeping and joined in January 2019.
Hopes for the future: To be able to expand the number of hives I manage and have a viable commercial enterprise in honey and other bee-related products. I would also like to engage in research involving bees and bee health in Barbados and the Caribbean.
Lynette Rudder
Committee Floor Member
A trained Florist and a graduate of the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology (SJPI) – Certificate in landscaping and horticulture,
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Employed by the Ministry of Agriculture since 2008-2014, where she was attached to the Cut Flower and Foliage Development Project, Bullens Agricultural Station. She specialised in orchid and anthurium production and gained considerable experience in protected agriculture and greenhouse construction.
Lynette is a trained Florist and a graduate of the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology (SJPI) – Certificate in landscaping and horticulture, (Distinction). She was then attached to the Home Agricultural Station 2014-2018, while completing Caribbean Bee College in November 2017. She was promoted to the Post of Beekeeper in May 2018.
Lynette joined the Barbados Apiculture Association in June 2018. She accepted the invitation to be part of the working group with the TVET Council to review the standards for level 2, national vocational qualification in beekeeping for Barbados.
Julian Mangal
Committee Floor Member
Growing up in the land and mixing apprentice experience with formal education. His farm and Apiary is located in Turners’ Hall St Andrew…
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… overlooking our only remaining original forest. Apart from his duties as an executive member of the BAA, he gives continuous mentorship, training persons to develop their own beekeeping style.
Personal quote ”The more beekeepers we have the more in sync we will be with our environment.”
Zachary Lynch
Committee Floor Member
I love the chemistry of the bees, how they work and the important roles they play in the world we live in.
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Owner of Chemist Organic Honey Farms
I have been a beekeeper for 11 years
I love the chemistry of the bees, how they work and the important roles they play in the world we live in.
I would like to go far in this business and have honey on a lot more shelves in supermarkets, small shops and on some cruise ships.
The business will be expanded by providing more beehives every year that I can give others work and give training to those people who would love to become beekeepers.
Get In Touch
ADDRESS:
c/o Barbados Agricultural Society, “The Grotto”,
Beckles Road
St Michael
Barbados W.I
BB14025
PHONE CONTACTS
(246) 436-6681
(246) 426-6683
(246) 436-6684
Fax: (246) 435-0651
EMAIL:
bdosagriculturalsociety
@caribsurf.com