Early Career Alumnus of the Year

Early Career Alumnus of the Year, Dr Cooper Schouten

A Southern Cross University environmental science and PhD graduate as well as a professional beekeeper, Cooper manages numerous projects in the Indo-Pacific region with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and is also the project leader for the University’s Bees for Sustainable Livelihoods research group.

His unusual career was sparked by a chance encounter several years ago when working in Timor-Leste as part of a New Colombo Plan scholarship. Local honey hunters recounted the process of collecting honey from the tops of giant shade trees, using a burning branch at night – a deadly harvest that saw people frequently fall to their deaths.

“I thought to myself, there has to be a better way of doing this, and it grew from there,” said Cooper.

“What I’ve come to discover is that throughout the Indo-Pacific region, it's not just about doing more beekeeping. It's about improving the way in which we approach international development and these partnership programs with some of our nearest neighbours. These partnerships enable us to focus on long-term solutions to problems that matter to local people.

“So it's not just about more bees and more honey, it's about improving incomes, welfare and capacity building for industry-relevant skills, for people here as well as overseas,” he said.

Cooper’s research is wide-ranging, covering resilience, inclusion, and profitability for smallholder beekeeping enterprises particularly in Papua New Guinea and Fiji, but also for the beekeeping industry in Australia.

“A lot of our research is also looking at best management practices for overcoming issues related to honey bee pests and diseases, effective training and extension, bee nutrition and biosecurity. So we’re looking at genetics and queen bee breeding as well as beekeeping finance to ensure these beekeeping enterprises are profitable and sustainable.

“There’s a lot more to beekeeping than honey. We're also doing market research and capacity building for developing new value-adding to bee products. You can turn beeswax and propolis into products such as surf wax, surf zinc, lip balms, candles and soaps, for example.”

Developing gender equity in the beekeeping industry is a priority.

“Beekeeping industries globally are heavily dominated by men, but it doesn't have to be that way. The research is really clear – although 50 per cent of farmers globally are women, they are disproportionately affected by poverty. There are opportunities to improve women's agency, skills and relationships and this is critical to reducing poverty for everyone. We really need to walk the talk when it comes to overcoming bias around women in agriculture, science and beekeeping.

“Both overseas and here in Australia, those organisations that are drawing on the talents of both women and men equally at all levels are going to outperform those who do not,” he said.

The honey bee industry in Australia is worth an estimated $14 billion to the Australian economy, says Cooper, and the ACIAR projects can be a fertile ground to recruit a new generation of local beekeepers with research and training skills to support the industry. “We're able to identify students who are really passionate about the industry, about beekeeping. That's really important in terms of looking to the future of the Australian honey bee industry, and pollination-dependent horticultural crops.

“My studies at Southern Cross University really opened my eyes to a career where I can not only work to help people out of poverty in our neighbouring countries, and create research that can have outcomes for our industry here in Australia, but it's also enabling me to achieve my aspirations and help other people to be able to achieve theirs as well.”