Pitch
The beekeeping project will promote conservation and tackling poverty at the grassroots level.
Description
Summary
As it is known a large number of trees and forest products are used as source of energy by large community of people in most of the Africa countries the beekeeping project will reduce the effect of cutting trees by 70% and hence a large slice of greenhouse gas will be reduced and also the environment will be well maintained in which the climate will be Protected. Apiculture is a powerful way of tackling poverty at the grassroots level. Alohen in partnership with the Tarakea Community is looking to establish 2,000 hives as a platform for the training and adoption of beekeeping practice in northern Tanzania. This project is primarily concerned with reducing poverty among rural people and providing ongoing resources for the work of Alohen in Tanzania.
The main objective of the project is to create conservation awareness, empowering on the modern beekeeping project from traditional one.More than 2,000 new commercial beehives are to be installed within the community.Many trees are to be planted on the beekeepers Land, schools land and lands in the zones,These plants are not only needed for their quality, as sources of nectar and reforestation agents, but also for their role as sources of income.
In order for the beekeepers to get enough honey they are needed to plant and conserve more trees in which the process will act as catalyst for conserving the environment and reduce the use of trees as source of energy.
Is this proposal for a practice or a project?
Project
What actions do you propose?
- Bee keeping lesson to be introducted to the community that is how to start beekeeping , its importance to environment and community and the impact to the environmenmt that will be as a result of beekeeping.
- The establishment of beekeeping project that is hive making/buying, beekeeping house preparation, and finding of bees colony, daily to daily beehives inspection and maintenance, honey harvesting and honey and bee products selling to the market.
- The percentage of money obtained from selling honey and bee products will be returned to the community to support the conservation initiatives.
- The community should learn the effect of afforestation and the use of trees as the source of energy.
Who will take these actions?
These actions will be taken by the community members at Tarakea under the supervision from ALOHEN and the local Government of the Area.
Where will these actions be taken?
These action will start at Tarakea ward at Rombo District kilimanjaro region in Tanzania.
In addition, specify the country or countries where these actions will be taken.
Tanzania
Country 2
No country selected
Country 3
No country selected
Country 4
No country selected
Country 5
No country selected
Impact/Benefits
What impact will these actions have on greenhouse gas emissions and/or adapting to climate change?
Planting Cover crops will absorb the nitrogen that remains in the soil after the previous crop has been harvested, making it unavailable for conversion into N2O that could be emitted into the air. In addition, the crops reduce the volume of water that flows over and into the soil during the winter months, thereby reducing the leaching of nitrates from the soil into waterways and slowing soil erosion, which is an important problem in some locations.
Bee keeping preserve, protect established forest they also preserve fragile soils from erosion and land slippage, they support natural watershed management and become a factor in the protection of forest biodiversity. Indigenous tree planting or agroforestry techniques designed to maximize a honey crop can also help to establish new forest areas or encourage the uptake of environmentally sensitive methods of multipurpose agroforestry or farming. Beekeeping projects often link beekeeping training with environmental training and tree planting.
Bees are under threat and need to be conserved. They are threatened by habitat destruction and killed by environmental pollution, pesticides in particular.
- Keep the soil covered with plants and plant matter
Bare soil oxidizes carbon in the soil, while plants protect it and add to it. Not only do plants sequester carbon through photosynthesis, they slow carbon emissions by soil microbes by forming a barrier between the air and the soil, and they reduce soil erosion a major factor in soil carbon depletion. Every time soil is exposed, whether it is because the ground is being tilled, a crop has been harvested and the land left fallow, or we leave space between row crops, soil carbon is reduced. Practices such as mulch farming and under-sowing with legumes and cover crops to keep soils covered throughout the year increase soil carbon, keep soil organisms healthy and prevent erosion
- Imitate nature’s diversity
- Discontinue the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers
- Reforestation and reversing desertification
- Encourage Others to Conserve
Sharing of information about recycling and energy conservation with friends, neighbours and co-workers, will take opportunities to encourage public officials to establish programs and policies that are good for the environment.
What are other key benefits?
One beehive typically produces 25-30kg of honey per year with few inputs required after establishment. One kg of honey in Tanzania sells for around US $5.40. 2000 hives can generate between US $600,000-$728,000 per year. In a country where the average per capita income is less than US $900 beekeeping thus has enormous potential to galvanise the income of poverty stricken local people. Given the projected costs and benefits one beehive would pay 90% of its establishment costs in the first year. With very little maintenance and ongoing labour required after establishment of the hives, apiculture is an extremely cost effective agricultural activity.
Honey market can be explained if organised properly,
Various value added items and recipes can be prepared out of honey,
Stringes of dead bees can be used for medicinal preparations.
Ensuring better national health,
The establishment of a joint organisation is a fundamental instrument for the development of the honey products business.
Beekeeping has great potential for joint exports as the main problem for the exports from Tanzania is the quantity. In order to obtain a good price in Word commodity markets,
Local authorities could be involved with municipal council decisions to grant beekeepers land from the municipal plots.
A joint venture could be set up in the duty free zone (of Pirot) for processing of honey with an accredited laboratory to serve both sides, which would enable the preferential export of honey and bee products to other countries.
Costs/Challenges
What are the proposal’s projected costs?
Establishment of this project relies on the founding of 2000 hives on community land as well as the training of key people in beekeeping skills. There is an initial establishment timeframe of 1 year. In the first year this project aims to meet the key goals and objectives before an evaluation looks at possible expansion of the initiative.
Establishment of 2000 hives involves the following inputs:
TOTAL VARIABLE COSTS 261,600
TOTAL FIXED COSTS 53,400
TOTAL COSTS 315,000
Note: All costs in US dollars are based on 2,215.86Tzs Shs/US dollar.
By:
ALOHEN
