South Africa

South Africa, Maverick Citizen

A sweet and green future — beekeeping and cannabis education set to up upskill students

Jeffrey Roos, a young individual who recently completed the beginner beekeeping course, said he plans to study entomology, making beekeeping a natural fit for him. "I enjoy working with my hands, and beekeeping requires a lot of attention to detail. It’s the effort you put into it that really makes it worthwhile,” he said. Photo: Takudzwa Pongweni

By Takudzwa Pongweni

17 Dec 2024

In a groundbreaking development for the African educational landscape, Cheeba Africa Cannabis Academy has secured accreditation for Africa’s first Higher Certificate in Cannabis Production & Management. The programme, set to launch in Johannesburg in 2025, promises to equip students with vital skills for one of the fastest-growing industries globally. As cannabis education gains traction, it’s not alone in this trend. Fields once considered unconventional — like beekeeping — are also emerging as valuable educational avenues.

In a significant move for South Africa’s emerging cannabis industry, Cheeba Africa has earned official accreditation for its Higher Certificate in Cannabis Production & Management, marking a significant milestone in the professionalisation of cannabis education. Trenton Birch, the CEO and co-founder of Cheeba Africa, said that the journey to achieve this significant accreditation had been a challenging four-year process, and expressed excitement about setting a new standard in cannabis education, offering a valuable programme for aspiring cannabis entrepreneurs and workers.

Trenton Birch, the CEO and co-founder of Cheeba Africa, said they taught permaculture because if somebody wanted to learn how to grow cannabis, they should also be able to grow tomatoes, which would give them a better understanding of soil and agricultural dynamics. (Photo:Supplied)

“Any sunrise industry eventually needs qualifications, because we need people who are properly trained. You can only learn so much on YouTube, so I think it’s vitally important that as an industry grows there are qualifications to support that industry, and that is obviously one of the reasons that we’ve gone the higher education route, even though it could be argued that globally higher education is shifting and the validity of accreditation is changing,” he said.

A holistic approach to cannabis training

Cheeba Academy’s Higher Certificate in Cannabis Production & Management is a 120-credit, NQF Level 5 qualification. This full-time, in-class programme, which includes hands-on practical training, offers one of the most unique cannabis education experiences in the world.

Birch says universities play a valuable role in research and that their connection to the industry is essential, but he feels they are not yet fully equipped to embrace the cannabis sector. He acknowledges the need for more educators to deliver relevant content and fill this educational gap. While some universities are conducting excellent research, Birch argues that private higher education, run by industry specialists, holds more value because it is directly connected to the industry. He points out that university graduates often leave with theoretical knowledge but lack practical experience and industry networks, which are crucial for success in the cannabis field.

Birch highlighted that a common misconception about the cannabis industry is that it is purely an agricultural sector. While agriculture forms the foundation, it’s only a small part of the bigger picture. The broader potential, especially within the hemp space, stretches into various industries such as biofuels, bioplastics, fabrics, construction, food, and more. Cannabis is not just about farming; it’s a versatile plant that spans a wide range of sectors, from responsible recreational use to medical applications.

“Although cultivation is a big part of this course, there’s the cannabis business, for example, which is the biggest module, that goes into everything from cannabis clubs to compliance testing, extraction, legal, industrialisation of the value of the supply chain. What we also do is include a whole lot of other subject matter around sustainability and wellness, so that can be on soil science, health and nutrition, mindfulness, food security, we even do topics that introduce people to futurism,” he said.

The programme covers key modules including:

Medical Cannabis

Plant Botany and an Introduction to Cultivation

Cultivation Management and Techniques

Commercial Cultivation

Cannabusiness

Sustainability and Wellness

New Sustainable Farming Methods

“Obviously, the main focus of the course is cannabis, but we do touch on a whole lot of other subject matters. For example, we teach permaculture. If somebody wants to learn how to grow good cannabis, they should also be able to grow tomatoes, which makes them a better cannabis cultivator because they understand soil and agricultural dynamics in a much deeper form. So we try to approach education in a very holistic way, to make sure that our graduates, when they leave, have the best possible opportunities,” he said.

Birch said that while accreditation ensured adherence to standards and provided guidelines, it didn’t always guarantee the highest quality. For him, reputation is key, and ensuring the industry remains professional and well-rounded is essential for its continued growth and acceptance.

“We’ve been going for over five years now, so we have a lot of pedigree in the space. I think it’s really important to be professional at all times because we are an industry that has stigmas attached to it. When people come to our campus, they’re always quite blown away by how slick and professional it is; we make it very clear that it’s not a stoner campus,” he said.

Birch also pointed out that cannabis has its negative aspects, which is why responsible use is crucial, as well as how individuals present themselves in the industry.

Cannabis as a gateway to job creation

The potential for job creation, particularly in rural areas like the Eastern Cape, is immense. Birch said it was estimated that about 140,000 hectares of cannabis are cultivated there each year, although much of it is illegal. The key challenge now was how to transform that illicit cultivation into a legitimate, profitable business model for local farmers.

“I think that the opportunity for cannabis and hemp in this country is immense. We have a strategic advantage over the northern hemisphere in terms of our light cycles, our longer cultivation periods, our cheaper square meter of land, etc. So I think we can be, as we are with other sorts of agricultural crops, the bread basket of cannabis into Europe. There’s a lot of work to be done to get to that point, but I do believe that there’s a huge opportunity for job creation in this sector,” he said.

One of the core values for the organisation was ensuring that cannabis remained decentralised, so it didn’t end up solely in the hands of those with money who were just jumping on the bandwagon. The global recognition of South Africa as a cannabis powerhouse was largely due to the efforts of people in rural areas, particularly in the Eastern Cape. These communities had put South African cannabis on the map, often at great personal cost — facing persecution, crop destruction, and health issues as a result, said Birch.

Countries like Malawi and Zimbabwe, which had traditionally been major tobacco producers, were now looking for alternative cash crops as tobacco use declines. Similarly, South Africa already exported large volumes of fruit and vegetables to Europe, and there was no reason cannabis couldn’t follow the same path, said Birch.

“I think in order to realise the proper potential of this globally, we need to move as fast as possible. The government needs to move, we need to get the legislation sorted, there simply is no time to drag our heels any more. Things have taken too long, and it’s really time for the government to pull its socks up and get the legislation going,” he said.

The Cannabis Master Plan, a strategic framework aimed at developing South Africa's domestic cannabis industry, is now with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, a move that Birch welcomed. He emphasised that to truly build and grow the industry, it needed to be based on sound business principles and industrialisation strategies. Birch expressed hope that 2025 would be a pivotal year for cannabis and hemp, a milestone the industry was eagerly awaiting. However, he acknowledged the current challenge posed by a thriving illicit market, which had flourished due to the lack of proper legislation.

“Cannabis is here to stay, and in my opinion is one of the most important industries of our time. It has the immense potential to help our health and wellness and a huge potential to drive us towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. So this is going to be one of the biggest industries in the world, and I just really hope that people can move past the prejudice and embrace it as soon as possible,” he said.

The beekeeping buzz

Alongside cannabis, another unconventional field of study that is gaining momentum and is set to be accredited for 2025 is beekeeping. Kai Hichert, who runs The Beekeepers Hub, said that the centre had helped to bring 900 people into the beekeeping industry.

Hichert said they tried to train as many people as possible to become hobbyists and, in the later stages, some people would go into commercial beekeeping.

A hobbyist beekeeper typically keeps bees for personal enjoyment, learning, or small-scale production, such as harvesting honey for family and friends. They usually manage a few hives and may not rely on it as a source of income. A commercial beekeeper, on the other hand, operates on a larger scale, with the goal of generating profit. They manage many hives, sell honey, beeswax, and other products, and may also offer pollination services to farms, requiring a more business-oriented approach and significant investment in equipment and infrastructure.

“What we do is teach you to become a hobbyist, because when you become a hobbyist you’ve got your own bees, and you’ve got something to produce your own honey. We will try to assist you as much as possible because, at the end of the day, there are not enough beekeepers in South Africa, not just South Africa, but worldwide. So there’s a shortage of bees, shortage of beekeepers, and a shortage of bee forage,” said Hichert.

Worth more than honey

While honey is a key product of beekeeping, Hichert stressed that the true value of bees lay in their role as pollinators. In fact, about 70 to 80% of the world’s food crops depend on pollination by bees. Without bees, many of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts we rely on would be scarce or even nonexistent. For instance, South Africa’s macadamia industry, which is the world’s largest producer of macadamia nuts, requires a significant number of hives to ensure proper pollination. A hectare of macadamia trees needs four to six hives, totaling about 320,000 hives just for macadamias alone. However, with only about 330,000 registered hives in the country, the demand for bees far outstrips the supply. Moreover, this includes hives from the Capensis (Cape honey bee), a breed that can’t be used in certain areas due to its tendency to harm the Scutellata (African honey bee) population.

The two-day beginner beekeeping course provides both theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience, allowing participants to work directly with hives. (Photo: Takudzwa Pongweni)

Bees are also crucial for pollinating other essential crops, such as apples, pears, avocados, and even vegetables like pumpkins, butternuts, and watermelons. This means the demand for pollination services far exceeds the current supply of beehives in South Africa, making the work of beekeepers — especially those increasing hive numbers — crucial.

“We don’t have enough youth. The average age of beekeepers in South Africa is 58 and there are only 6,500 bookkeepers in South Africa. It’s hard work, we can only work at night, our bees sting and its heavy hard work. That’s why we have a problem, so we try and get as many people doing courses. The course is so therapeutic. It’s unbelievable. Once you see how they work, what they do, it’s really good. It’s really nice,” he said.

Addressing the ageing beekeeper population

Despite these challenges,Hichert is optimistic about the future, noting that many of the participants in their courses are young people eager to learn about beekeeping.

“We do have a lot of youth coming in for the course, we get a lovely mix of people coming to do beekeeping. I run a course once a month and I get young, I get old. I get rural people. I get youngsters coming in. I’ve got old people coming in. I get professors, I get doctors, I get academics coming to do the course, and that’s a lovely mix, “ he said.

Hichert said they offered a comprehensive beginner’s course to get people started in beekeeping, and continued to support them as they progressed. They held numerous workshops and offered a range of services to assist people.

Barbara Roberts and Kai Reichert of The Beekeepers Hub, which offers beginner beekeeping courses and has helped bring more than 900 people into the beekeeping industry. (Photo: Takudzwa Pongweni)

The course provides both theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience, allowing participants to work directly with hives. Day 1 introduces participants to the history of beekeeping, the products bees produce, and their critical role in pollination, while Day 2 focuses on practical skills in hive management, honey extraction, and inspecting bees.

In 2025, the Beekeepers Hub is set to gain accreditation for its course. When asked whether accreditation could help increase the number of beekeepers, Hichert acknowledged that it could be beneficial. However, he emphasised that the most important factor in beekeeping education was practical experience.

“Unfortunately, in beekeeping the accreditation is not really important, it is actually that there is the practical work, and for the experience you need mentorship. Beekeeping is mentorship and constantly learning about bees,” he said.

A sweet future ahead?

Daily Maverick spoke to Jeffrey Roos, a young individual who recently completed the beginner beekeeping course and was eager to share his experience. Roos, who has always been fascinated by insects, plans to study entomology, making beekeeping a natural fit for him. Reflecting on the course, Roos said that the first day offered an in-depth introduction, including lectures on the history of beekeeping and the biology of bees. The second day provided practical, hands-on experience, where they worked directly with hives at the Woodlands Office Park. For Roos, the most rewarding part of the course was the practical work.

Jeffrey Roos, who recently completed the beginner beekeeping course, said he planned to study entomology, making beekeeping a natural fit for him. (Photo: Takudzwa Pongweni)

“I enjoy working with my hands, and beekeeping requires a lot of attention to detail. It’s the effort you put into it that really makes it worthwhile,” he said.

Barbara Roberts of the Beekeepers Hub also pointed out that beekeeping was gaining popularity as an extracurricular activity in local schools. Institutions such as Hilton College in KwaZulu-Natal and St John’s College were offering beekeeping programmes for students.

Hichert added that beyond its agricultural and commercial value, beekeeping offered therapeutic benefits, making the profession particularly rewarding.

“Once you see how they work, what they do... it’s really nice. Beekeeping is exceptionally therapeutic, and you can watch bees all day long. Especially when you harvest your own honey... that first harvest, when you pull off your honey, it’s just unbelievable. Everyone should come do a course,” he said. DM

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