Field Crops & Beekeeping

The Field Crops & Beekeeping programme promotes sustainable and profitable agricultural production that contributes to food security, biodiversity and resilient rural economies. Experts share knowledge on efficient water and soil management, responsible input use and value chain development. Together with farmers, beekeepers and cooperatives, they strengthen agricultural ecosystems and create opportunities for sustainable growth.

Field crops – breeding, cultivation and harvesting

Within the Field Crops domain, experts collaborate with farmers, small-scale farmers, cooperatives, plant breeders, seed suppliers and machinery providers across the agricultural value chain. Their expertise covers the full cycle of crop production, from plant breeding and variety selection to seed multiplication, field cultivation, irrigation, crop protection, fertilisation and harvesting. Experts also collaborate with farmers and cooperatives on post-harvest handling, storage and logistics to improve product quality and prepare crops for human consumption, animal feed or further processing.

Knowledge sharing often takes place through practical training, train-the-trainer approaches and demonstration farms, strengthening local capacity and knowledge transfer within agricultural communities.

The programme covers a wide range of crops and production systems across temperate, subtropical and tropical regions, including cereals, oil crops, tubers, tree crops and plantation crops such as coffee and tea.

Beekeeping – pollination, biodiversity and income

Beekeeping complements agricultural production through pollination, biodiversity and sustainable land use. PUM experts collaborate with farmers and beekeepers to strengthen beekeeping practices and improve the quality and value of bee products. Honeybees play an essential role in the pollination of crops and trees such as mustard, rapeseed, cashew and Brazil nuts. In addition to strengthening crop yields, beekeeping opens up opportunities for farmers to generate income through products such as honey, beeswax and propolis.

Bee products also create added value in industries beyond agriculture, including artisanal honey products in tourism, honey-based foods and drinks in food processing, and natural ingredients for personal care products.

Strengthening  business foundations

The programme also includes experts with extensive experience in general strategy and business planning areas. They collaborate with entrepreneurs and organisations to strengthen management, marketing, finance and operations. By combining technical expertise with general business support, PUM contributes to sustainable growth and resilient organisations.