From Extraction to Meliponiculture: An Ethnobiological Synthesis of a Long-Standing Process in Argentina

Abstract

This chapter traces the origins, knowledge, and motivations that have led inhabitants of different regions of Argentina to practice meliponiculture. Taking an ethnobiological perspective, it aims to provide an overview of the historical and current links between stingless bees and local communities (Indigenous peoples and peasants). It explores the different perspectives and knowledge domains surrounding the identity of stingless bees, which do not present unequivocal ways of naming and classifying what academics also call “stingless bees” and Meliponini. Moreover, it considers the significant relationship that exists between stingless bees and the Indigenous and peasant populations of Argentina that have used management practices developed from the past into the present to harvest pot-honey, pot-pollen, propolis, and cerumen. Finally, it contemplates the successful process and discussions promoted by various institutions to include Yateí (Tetragonisca fiebrigi) honey in the Argentine food code, which marked a significant milestone for meliponiculture in Argentina. Ultimately, it concludes that there are excesses and challenges in Argentine meliponiculture, namely that the multiple proposals and possibilities for this beneficial activity may paradoxically create a risk of practices becoming unsustainable or exclude minorities who cannot access the permits or other bureaucratic procedures that are foreseen in the future of meliponiculture.