Practical training on improving honey quality.

Crop raiding and illegal cattle grazing remain main issues that undermine conservation of Gishwati Forest Reserve in Rwanda. These issues create conflicts between the forest managers and local farmers. In September 2012, I received a grant from Rufford Foundation to support local farmers to start a beekeeping business in order to reduce these conflicts. The project was successfully implemented and this second one year grant will help to upscale its achievements. The activities include supporting members of JYAMBERE cooperative (made by farmers who own agricultural plots adjacent to the forest) to improve and expand the two apiaries that were constructed under the first grant and continue to build their capacity in modern beekeeping.

Improved apiary.

During the first month of the project, FHA will renew the agreement with JYAMBERE. This includes using 30% of the revenue from the honey sale to buy wire to fence their ranches and using 10% of the revenue to buy fresh maize and maize flour to their households and to continue avoiding planting maize within 300 meters in the vicinity of the forest.

During the second month, three beekeepers from the three other local beekeeping cooperatives and one person from UNICOAPIGI (the union of local beekeeping cooperatives) will train 15 of 83 members of JYAMBERE in improving honey quality during 10 days. These 15 trainees will train other members of JYAMBERE in teams during 5 days. All trainings will include half days of theory and half days of practical.

During the fourth, fifth and sixth months, UNICOAPIGI will assist JYAMBERE to improve and expand the two apiaries. JYAMBERE will buy the beehives during the seventh month and install them during the eighth month. From the ninth to the twelfth month, JYAMBERE members will care for bees, apiaries and beehives.

FHA and UNICOAPIGI will do monitoring and evaluation. Monitoring will be done through the whole cycle of the project. Partial evaluations will be done after trainings, after improving and extending the apiaries, after buying new beehives and after installing them. The annual evaluation will be carried out at the end of the project during the 12th month.

FHA will continue to strengthen the partnership that it created between JYAMBERE and UNICOAPIGI. JYAMBERE is already a member of UNICOAPIGI, sells honey to this union and will continuously need advice from them about improving honey quality, caring for bees, beehives and apiaries.