Dr. Mohd Zulkifli Mustafa
School of Health Sciences
Email: zulkifli.mustafa@usm.my
Phone No: (+6)04-767 6318
Research Interest
Comparative Neurosciences.
More than 4000 stingless beekeepers have been trained under my community projects
Ladang commercial developed.
What were your proudest moments during these community projects +implementation?
Have you ever seen insects fly and get trapped behind a car's window? They try to escape by knocking on the transparent window and would end up dead the next day. Relatedly, I've watched the beekeeping community try to release a small bee that's trapped and the bee is back alive freely. Doing so needs one to have a great level of empathy. Yes, empathy! one feeling that connects us all and other creatures.
And this empathetic nature translation from the beekeepers symbolizes the success of the message that I am trying to convey. It is also the greatest pride in my life. Eventually, our contentment as scholars peaks when the knowledge and inspiration we bring forward are welcomed and is life-changing to other people. Alhamdulillah, to date, more than 4000 stingless beekeepers have been trained under my community projects.
For the general public, honeybee and stingless bee (kelulut) are merely insects that produce honey. However, as for me, they are the army of the Almighty Creator that are inspired to pollinate the seeds of trees that give us oxygen and food, provide natural resources, and sustain life continuity and survivability. And from the bees, honey is crafted, which grants cure for humans (AnNahl68-69). Unfortunately today, these tiny creatures are threatened with chemical pesticides and continuous rural development. This makes bee conservation and honey-upholding efforts crucial as missions to prosper humankind and mother nature.
The impact? A flourishing symbiosis exists between the beekeepers and bees contributes to socioeconomic well-being in line with ecological conservation. Moreover, honey that was previously marketed along the night market floor is now transformed into a premium product.
This symbiosis is a vision for the Kelulunomic project that I am now pioneering. It is my personal passion that allows me to sleep in peace. To top that, Kelulunomic has been recognized as an outstanding translational research project by the M0HE. This work has also been proudly engraved on a special national stamp and it is something that I could not be more proud of.
Dr. Zul with community.
What is the biggest challenge you faced to ensure the success of the project?
"The most blessed thing in this world is the sacred knowledge; when we can learn, understand, and inspire others to do good, that is sacred".... my late father once said. Alhamdulillah, Iam now in USM and this institution has a clear mission to empower the bottom-end of society in transforming their socio-economic well-being. But superior to that, as a Malaysian, I hold on the first principle in the pillars of the country, the Belief in God. Therefore, my every step in the community program is based on the goal of upholding the first pillar, besides upholding the mission of USM. The role of teaching and doing research is a responsibility as an employee, but inspiring society is an obligation for me, both as a scholar and a citizen.
Meaning, when Allah states in the Quran that honey is a cure, it is not a hypothesis, but a fact that needs to be upheld. The same applies to when we manage halal, riba, zina other issues. In the mission of upholding the honey industry, the biggest challenge is to nstil adoration for bees and to change the public's perception towards honey. That means, the fundamental challenge is a change of mindset, which is difficult and can only be changed if society is rightly inspired. At the same time, the honey industry is flooded with over 90 per cent of artificial honey, unsustainable farming, and non-hygienic bost-harvesting management. Hence, the industry needs a total solution.
The solution I use is a moon-shot model where a mission is to produce Natural, Clean, and Good Quality honey. This mission ensures that "real" honey can be marketed and provide income to the main stakeholders the beekeepers. As a result, the conservation and production activities of honey will continue. This whole scenario will open for supporting innovation and allows scientists in the fields of entomology, engineering, industrial technology, medicine, chemistry together with the involvement of other agencies. The co-involvement will play a big role in the community, working in close cooperation on the same mission.
This creates an ecosystem that brings together many new stakeholders and accelerates the process of raising bees and producing honey. As for me, I developed patented innovations such as the MUSTAFA-Hive and HILDA System until the birth of spin-off Brainey Sdn Bhd along with halal-certified honey factory, HACCP, GMP, and IS02200.
Alhamdulillah, the challenge of instilling the love for bees and honey can now be overcome in line with USM's motto "Transforming higher education for tomorrow's sustainability". And it's even more motivating for me when the inspiration entrusted by my father can be fulfilled in tandem with the first national principle of the country.
Premium honey developed.
with international collaborations.
2022 Kelulunomic Summary.
What is the future direction of the project?
I define success as the ability to bring impact and achieve life's dreams, not by rank, title nor position. My dream of life is to position honey as an approved treatment in clinical settings and to further uphold God's word that honey is the cure.
The direct impact of the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) on the community is something that can be achieved through community programs. An example is knowledge and skills (know-how) that are transferred to the villagers. However, this impact is rarely pursued by university lecturers as many fail to distinguish between community service (CS) versus community engagement (CE) and thus, causing community programs to be considered an additional burden. CE is a process of mutual empowerment for researchers and communities. I leveraged CE into a field research space and translated the scientific narrative for the direct benefit of the community and that gave me KPls in tandem with KIP, whilst still being on track to pursue my life's dream of elevating honey reputation.
I have invested nearly ten years focusing on the aspects of kelulut farming, beekeepers development, and international certification for kelulut honey products. Now, my current focus is to streamline the traceability system of kelulut honey products where some biosensor and loT (Internet of Things) initiations are being developed. Several clinical trials are underway where one study has been completed and the kelulut honey product is expected to be officially used at the clinical level soon.
Continuous efforts to increase the number of beekeepers are also a priority in the future to meet the growing demand. Towards this end, continuous collaboration with TERAJU and other public universities as well as farmers' associations such as the Darul Nairn Entrepreneurs of Stinglee bee Society (DRONESS) and JBEES continued to be performed. In the end, my greatest idol is Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) who inspired me to fight to humanize myself. Other humanitarian figures such as Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and Mother Teresa have also proven that the struggle to empower humanity is at the core of life.