Bees play a significant role in global agriculture
Bees play a significant role in global agriculture owing to their role as a vital link in food production. Collectively, these insects produce over 30 per cent of the world’s food. A study by Michigan State University asserts that bees account for a third of all the food consumed by humans. It is further held that the economic value of bee pollination is almost $400 billion, which impacts almost three-quarters of the global food supply. Owing to the above-mentioned extensive benefits derived from bees, numerous not for profit organizations and social enterprises across the globe are offering solutions for saving bees. An article by Food Tank xx(https://foodtank.com/news/2015/01/buzzing-for-solutions-13-organizations-and-initiatives-helping-to-save-bees/) highlighted up to 13 organizations, that is, not for profit and social enterprises with initiatives whose focus is on saving bees. Notable among these are BeesFree Inc., Friends of Honeybees and Center for Honeybee Research at Asheville, North Carolina. The Centre for Bee Research, for instance, is a charitable institution focused on education and research activities to alleviate the honeybee crisis. Once collected, this social entity freely publishes the unbiased research data from the hives of beekeepers to the entire world (https://centerforhoneybeeresearch.org/) xx. Its aim for such sensitization is to sensitize humans on the importance of honeybees for humanity and the whole flora and fauna. Numerous NFP organizations and social enterprises aim at supporting sustainable agricultural practices that help bees thrive.
There exist many B2B relationships between bee farmers and NFO and social enterprises due to the sustainable nature of this business. A considerable proportion of NFPs such as Bees Parks Trust, however, are mostly drawn to this industry owing to the impact of beekeeping on enhancing the environment and food production. Additionally, bee farmers come from marginalized countries of East Africa. Such beekeepers lack the technical skills and resources required to maximize the impact of bees on the environment through forest conservation while uplifting their standards of living through poverty alleviation. Such shortcomings among bee farmers prompt NFPs to come in and enhance the nature of bee farming practices, particularly in Africa. The NFPs succeed at this by acting as project sponsors in the B2B relationship in the industry through various methods.
Principal among such roles is training and education of bee farmers. The NGOs facilitate knowledge sharing and educational empowerment for beekeepers by recruiting and training beekeeper offices within the areas where bee farming is conducted. Such field officers are then dispatched to monitor farming activities and educate the beekeepers on modern, sophisticated methods of apiculture XX(UG). The education and training are also shared with beekeepers and communities through village and community meetings. The NFPs also offer supportive services to beekeepers by either procuring and manufacturing bee farming tools and equipment which they provide at a subsidized fee or on loan (xx). For instance, bee farmers can order for modern beehives and have them installed on their farms without paying any commission fee. Another B2B service offered by social enterprises is the processing and marketing of the finished products on behalf of bee farmers XX. All these services have a poverty alleviation impact on the farmers. However, some social enterprises enter into partnerships with bee farmers only to exploit them and keep a considerable portion of the profits xx (https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0172820). This conduct taints the image of credible NFPs which engage in honest and fair dealings with bee farmers. Agricultural ministries in bee farming nations should conduct background checks on social ventures before allowing them to engage with local bee farmers. This step will curb the entry of NFPs who end up exploiting the marginalized beekeeping communities.
Literature Review
Organizational trust is vital for the success of B2B marketing across all sectors. Interorganizational trust relates to the extent of belief placed in partner organizations XX (semanticscholar.org/paper/The-role-of-trust-in-the-B2B-buying-process-Kamers/00cfc777180bb6a1b5dc8bdbf1cccf09dcf87373). It is based on the qualities of fairness, reliability, and predictability. When Not for Profit organizations engage in the production and marketing activities in bee farming, most companies with which the NFP entity intends to transact with mistrust its dealings. Such partners find it suspicious to conduct business with a firm whose nature is an NFP, but its operations appear as profitable. Another essential requirement for trust in bee farming originates from the modern concept of relational marketing. This concept refers to an agreement where both the buyers and sellers have an interest in providing a more satisfying exchange xx(Kamwers). Firms that use honey as a raw material will raise concerns over dealing with a Non-Profit Organization as its supplier since it may not have an interest in providing for a more satisfying exchange. The absence of the profit motive may result in disruptions on the supply or delivery of substandard quality.
An improvement in channel partnership will boost the poverty alleviation impact of apiculture on marginalized beekeepers. Such partnerships will provide a more precise definition of roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders in the industry, including regulatory authorities who will curb the exploitation by social enterprises. A better channel partnership will also promote the growth of the bee farming industry and its contribution to the overall GDP. It will provide a clear definition of the industry, along with its channels and critical stakeholders with their specific roles. The conservancy impact of bees on the environment will also be more pronounced through an improvement in channel partnerships.