Swiss Beekeeping for Development

Info

SwiBee aims to contribute to the development of rural and suburban areas through beekeeping as a tool for sustainable development and biodiversity.

Geschichte

Presentation

Swiss Beekeeping for development (SwiBee) aims to contribute to the development of rural and suburban areas of the poorest countries through the application of modern beekeeping techniques and among populations who practice sustainable harvesting traditional beekeeping.

Fiel of actions

A) Food and Health

• Make available to the villagers and suburban local natural product, so inexpensive and accessible without difficulties;
• Improve the nutritional balance of the diet of affected populations, including children;
• Improving health through the consumption of propolis (antibiotic), pollen and royal jelly;
• Constitute a reserve of food for times of famine;

B) Social

• Provide a rewarding occupation for people (women and youth in particular) often left on the margins of social and economic life;
• Contribute to the fight against rural exodus;
• Create the final stage of development of the sector, the conditions for a "fair trade" export;
• Train local managers of development projects as well as trainers.

C) Economy

• Generate additional income, often in lean periods for farm families through the marketing of honey and other bee products;
• Create business for local artisans;
• Through increased pollination induced foraging bees, improve (20 to 50%, except in special cases) the performance of crops and therefore the income from the villagers;
• Again, thanks to increased pollination, increase the production of food and fruit crops;
• Create jobs tertiary As the development of the sector;

Integrated Projects

SwiBee desired, preferably supporting projects called "integrated". These include:
• the creation of an apiary school
• the training of monitors within the local partner's SwiBee;
• training (beekeeping , manufacturing beekeeping tools and marketing of bee products) villagers for use in their hives hamlet;
• supervision of beekeepers villagers in their activity of beekeeping and honey production (or employees of the firm) ;
• packaging honey ;
• marketing of honey at local and national level as a first step , in neighboring countries in a second time if feasible without major difficulties , and ultimately , if necessary , to Europe ;
• ultimately the marketing of other products from the hive.


"Integrated" project should be planned according SwiBee three years:

first year: training and implementation ;
second year : stabilization operations;
third year: full operation.

Other projects

The action of SwiBee can however only be partial and cover, for example, the creation of an apiary school and instructor training and villagers.
SwiBee is also available for expert missions or ad hoc support.
It can also occur in the context of partnerships with other Western or national humanitarian organizations: although it is a development tool in itself, beekeeping can be considered as a complement to other measures of development, to agro-pastoral or not.

The two phases of a project

The first phase is the validation objectives and feasibility , technical (beekeeping perspective) and cost of the project and the preparation of detailed documents for research funding for the project itself. The identification of potential funders of the project is also carried out during the first phase.

The feasibility study is conducted in the field by a beekeeper and, if necessary , a European economist with an excellent practice their profession in emerging countries . They work in complete harmony with representatives of local associations partners SwiBee . They must take full ownership of the project at the end of the first phase.

Project

It is the implementation phase of the project itself by beekeepers supervised by national officials, themselves supported by experts SwiBee . Expectations and bee populations and economic apprehended during the first phase of " feasibility study" conditions will determine the final nature of the project .
In the case of an "integrated" or bee farm village project, the first step will be to structure the project and the training of monitors and beekeepers. It will last about a month , the entire project extending over a period of three years if possible. The beekeeper SwiBee shouldering the project will make the first year a field mission of long duration. The duration of the tasks of two years will be decided according to the needs of the project. The nature , timing and duration of any field missions SwiBee other members (economists, veterinarians, etc ...) will be decided over the project.

In the case of a project "partial " nature , timing and duration of support by SwiBee assignments will be determined case by case.