Project to improve livelihoods of Rural Women through Beekeeping

Organization Information

XXXXXX is a registered non-government organization dedicated to economically empower women, marginalized groups of women and youth through education and business enterprises development. For the past 10 years, Organization supported stakeholders to establish beekeeping activities, tree nurseries, fish ponds, providing parent stock of pigs, improved chicken, daily cattle, goats as well as chevon goats to increase their household income. We define economic empowerment as helping to provide stakeholders with skills, knowledge and confidence to earn a viable income and determine how to use it.

VISION: To sustain farming society to prosper through involvement, cooperation and training.

MISSION: To mobilize resources and servicing for smallholders’ participation in agro-biodiversity and other livelihood processes.

Primary Goals

• To mobilize and unite farmers’ groups and societies
• To provide education and training skills and resources to members and farmers
• To create employment opportunities to youth women and vulnerable families
• To mobilize material resources and financial support to members and farmers
• To promote environmental conservation and sustainable utilization of natural resources

Organization’s Key Activities

The following key activities have been implemented by organization:

• Promoting agriculture and conservation activities through tree planting, nursery establishment and beekeeping.
• Supporting and training farmers on various skills and livelihoods processes.
• Awareness creation on cross-cutting issues such as gender, HIV/AIDS, malaria and environment.
• Advocating for the rights of marginalized groups of farmers, pastoralists and children.
• Networking with state and non state actors.

Population Targeted

xxxxx targets rural population specifically women, disadvantaged women (widows, women living with HIV/AIDS, single mothers and elderly women taking care for orphans) and youth.

Board Information

Role of the Board

xxxxxx board comprises of 10 members from diverse background in business, agriculture and farmers nominated by the xxxxx in 5 years term to oversee policies, programs and activities of the Association. The board hires and supervises the Executive Committee.

Executive Committee

It is the day to day organ executing activities of the association under the Executive Secretary. The Executive Committee comprises of the Executive Secretary, the treasurer, technical staff working either permanent or temporary basis for particular programs/project. The Executive Committee is responsible to the Board and meets on monthly basis.

The General Assembly

The General Assembly of all members is the highest decision making organ of the association that meets once per year to approve organization’s plans, programs and budgets. Headed by the Chairperson, it also meets once in every 5 years to recruit new members, as well as nominate the 10 Association’s Board of Directors; one among them the Board Chairperson.

Proposal Information

Purpose of Request

To improve livelihoods of 500 rural women in 5 villages in xxxxxx district through increased production of honey, beekeeping enterprise development and integration of village banking operations.

Problem Statement

Majority (75%) of xxxx large part of the xxx’s population is clustered around the poverty line, thus not being able to access basic needs (taking into account food and non food expenditures).

Beekeeping for food and income is becoming a popular activity among rural women in villages. However, majority of these women are unable to produce huge quantities of honey to supplement food intake as well as attract potential buyers. The quality of honey is also questionable and collection centers for buyers to easily access honey are not available. The assessment conducted in April 2011 revealed that rural women beekeepers suffer from adequate knowledge to increase honey production, availability of steady markets and lack of reliable source of credits to put more beehives into production.

While beekeeping is a high source of food and viable business to boost rural women incomes, there is a clear gap of supply and demand and therefore a huge potential for a successful intervention.

Project Objectives

• Improve honey production and harvesting technique among rural women participating in the project
• Improve marketing strategy of honey to attract potential buyers
• Sustain women viable beekeeping enterprises through village banking operations/ revolving funds.
• Strengthen the capacities of xxxx staff and stakeholders to implement and monitor progress of the project.

Summary Description of the Project

The project is estimated to begin January XXXX to December XXXX. The beekeeping activities would be operated by women themselves, with supervision and advice from xxxxxx.

The funds requested from xxxxxxxxx       will be used to strengthen the capacities of 500 women engaged in beekeeping activities to improve honey production and harvesting technique to an average of 1000 hives with an average yield of 27-30 kilos per hive (current production is 9-10 kilos per hive), while managing their operations profitably in attracting buyers. Traditional methods of harvesting causes serious quality problem to honey since the smoking cannot be regulated in such a practice and leaves unpleasant off-flavors into the product. To increase volume, quality of honey produced and run viable business, the major aspect of the project entails:

• Providing trainings/ refresher courses on: Beekeeping, processing techniques, packaging, entrepreneurship skills xxx to 500 women beekeepers in the 5 villages; the 500 women are part of 400 women trained in 2009. They will be selected to continue with the second phase of the project. Criteria for selection and training would focus more on women groups that have modern and traditional beehives and also performing traditional savings and lending schemes.
  • Refresher courses’ package will be harnessed with simplified material and guidebook showing Case studies, behaviors of bees in colony, steps and procedures necessary to meet quality standards of products to be marketed. Follow – up training and capacity to process crude honey and separate with bees wax will be conducted to women. Women will also be supported to participate in study tours within XXXX region and beyond to learn and share about the project experience.
  • xxx (local volunteers and Bee-keeping trainees); 2 from each participating village trained, motivated and facilitated with transport facilities will be contracted and supervised to conduct seasonal on-site practical skills on bee keeping as well as assist women on harvesting and processing.
• Formation of XXXXXX Groups: The project will support women to transform their traditional savings and lending scheme by equipping them with knowledge on the meaning and importance of a xxxxx group, rules and regulations, conflict resolution skills and saving and credit operations guidelines. The management costs are all taken care of by group members alone under voluntary basis. Group members decide themselves the rules and regulations which should guide them. They select their own leaders; they decide their own share values and social protection contribution values. They decide themselves when and where to meet for their weekly bank operations and training sessions. After training they will start contributing their shares and social protection amounts on weekly basis. After 16 weeks they will take loans to support their business. Each loan is returned to the group basket with added value.
• Provision Purchase of modern beehives and beekeeping supplies and equipment. xxxxxx will purchase 100 beehives (800 beehives were bought and distributed in the previous funding proposal), set of beekeeping suits, storage pots, packaging materials, etc.
• Establishment of Collection Centers: xxxxxx will mobilize village administration to provide land for construction of Collection Centers through women initiatives. In the first year, 1 villagers including beneficiaries would provide labor and bricks while funding requested would pay for purchase of iron sheets, cement, timber, windows and doors. With the establishment of collection centers, buyers will easily access markets whereby through honey collection revolving fund xxxx will collect honey from beneficiaries and other bee keepers, then sell it on retail and wholesale basis either raw or packed to customers’ demand.
• Market Research: xxxxx project staff and 10 representatives of women groups (2 in each group) will conduct market search in nearby tourist hotels situated in Serengeti. The team will speak to hotel management about the beekeeping project; they will also carry samples of honey produced and simple advertising leaflets.
• Building Trade Relations: The project will organize a special launch of collection centers to promote the project widely. Special invitees to the launch will include traders, media (for publicity) government officials, networking members and villagers.
• Networking: The project will identify organizations and groups of beekeepers to network. The networking forums would provide and beneficiaries with relevant information pertaining to bee-keeping business. The project will also support women to participate in trade fairs to attract other buyers.
• Monitoring Progress and Evaluation: Project staff and beneficiaries will quarterly meet to discuss progress of the project. Furthermore, they will participate data collection to inform them on the progress of the project. The project will also hire consulting firms like the Techno-Serve conduct mid and end of the project evaluations.
• Project sustainability: In sustaining the project, part of the money received from sales of honey would be saved to be loaned to women loan schemes in order to maintain beehives and pay for extra beehives to sustain the project. Women through saving and lending schemes will be insisted to increase their shares and establish petty businesses and other production activities like poultry and pig production whereby utilization of the xxxxx to every stage of the project will be essential to reinforce commitment and autonomy.

Project Outputs

Output: Improved honey production and harvesting techniques Activities:

• • Identification of women’s groups involved in beekeeping.
  • Training 500 women for 1 month on: beekeeping, processing and packaging.
  • Provision of modern beehives and other necessary supplies to 200 women

Output: Honey marketing strategy to attract potential buyers improved Activities:

• • Establish honey collection centers
  • Research market opportunities
  • Develop trading relations

Output: Women viable enterprises sustained through xxxx

Activities:

• • Hire a consultant to train staff and beneficiaries for a period of 14 to 16 weeks on xxx operations and entrepreneurship skills.
  • Support in formation of xxxx networks among 500 women (20 groups of 25 members in each group).

Output: Project effectively implemented Activities

• • Design monitoring and evaluation system
  • Train 25 core group of stakeholders in M&E
  • Provide extension support
  • Organize study tours among women groups to exchange experiences and learn from each other.
  • Conduct annual project review and work planning

Expected Results

• Increased income among 500 rural women by 30% by end of the project.
• Increased volume of honey product to attract the anticipated buyers from 10 liters annually to 30 liters per each 1000 beehives.
• Increased availability of honey in surrounding markets.
• Village banking operations in place and performing.
• Women’s enterprise development groups established and operating effectively.

Capacity Building

Monitoring progress is an important task in the life of this project. It will be done continuously with stakeholders in order to have opportunity to reflect, feedback, data collection and analyzing according to indicators. On the onset, this proposal will hire an M&E consultant to strengthen the capacities of both xxx staff and a core group of 40 representatives from women’s group on the M&E concept. During training sessions participants will be engaged to develop an M&E System.  The M&E system will help xxxxxx staff and stakeholders stay focused on the expected achievement of the project. The M&E will also be a reference for team meetings as it will act as a guide for reporting on progress as well as helping to make management decisions based on performance information. An operational M&E framework is attached as an annex to this proposal.

Participants

This project intends to directly benefit 500 women from vulnerable families in the 5 villages. With their active participation in the project, these women will earn money to escape their poverty levels. Indirectly, more than 10,000 people from the 5 villages would also benefit (approximately 2000 in each village) from using honey as food as well as buying and selling honey.

Networking and Working Relations

xxxxxx is the only organization training women in beekeeping. In order to effectively implement this project, xxx will network with Small Industries Development. xxxx offers trainings on food processing, marketing, credit support and technology support. xxxxx also has a legal mandate in quality control of products produced by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which is extremely important for this project that aims to improve quality honey in order to influence customer satisfaction.  Around markets, xxxx during public events such as farmer’s day provides opportunities for SMEs to market their products at minimal costs.  So, xxx will network with xxx to access markets as well as supporting quality control for honey produced.

Timeframe/ Workplan

• During the first two weeks, xxxx will identify 500 women from the 5 villages. Priority for selection will involve those already participating in small scale beekeeping and/or conducting revolving funds (saving and lending schemes).
• For two months xxx ill train 500 women (in a group of 25 participants each) on honey production, processing, entrepreneurship. After two months training these groups will be provided with necessary supplies and tools such as improved types of beehives.
• Xxxxx will conduct quarterly visits to provide technical support as women put into practice what they have learned. At this time, women will also be oriented on xxxx operations to start saving little monies prior starting honey business.
• In six monthstime, xxxxxx will mobilize communities especially village administration in 5 villages to set up honey collection centers.
• xxx and 40 women representatives (two women from each group) will start building relations with surrounding tourist hotels to market products
• xxxx will support women to officially launch the project in order to promote honey produced by women.
• Throughout the project xxx ill network with xxxx link women with any opportunities that would be available.