Economic Growth Madagascar Project #24228

Safeguard Bees and Beekeepers in Madagascar

by SEED Madagascar

Project Report | Jan 14, 2025
Project Renitantely Phase II Continues!

By Samantha Grunow | Programmes and Office Assistant

Meeting with Rarivo, CEO of Honey of Madagascar

Thanks to your unwavering support, Project Renitantely continues to create a buzz of excitement and progress in Madagascar!

This year, we’re thrilled to report that 46% of hives in Project Renitantely are healthy—an impressive 59% increase since Phase II began in July. This milestone demonstrates the resilience of both the hives and the beekeepers who care for them. The start of the honey harvesting season in October brought even more reasons to celebrate, with beekeepers producing a collective 710 litres of honey and earning an incredible 5,131,006 MGA in sales. Even more impressively, 96% of the honey harvested has already been sold, underscoring the growing demand for this sustainable product.

Since Phase II started in July, five new beekeeping associations have been formalized, bringing together 37 new beekeepers. To support these entrepreneurs, SEED launched its financial literacy training curriculum after completing a baseline survey to understand participants’ financial situations. Early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with high levels of motivation to attend and engage in the training.

Additionally, four community events were held in different locations showcasing a locally produced video on environmental education in collaboration with Masoandro, Sekoly Maintso, and Project Renitantely. These events fostered valuable conversations and strengthened community connections.

Through technical support and data collection, our dedicated beekeeping technicians are enabling informed decision making and steady progress. A recent trip to Tana also gave the project team a chance to connect with Rarivo, CEO of Honey of Madagascar, a local producer and exporter. The exchange of knowledge on climate adaptation strategies and methods to boost hive productivity proved invaluable. Learning about Honey of Madagascar’s global approach to the honey market also paves the way for future partnerships and expanded opportunities for the project.

We appreciate our shared belief in the importance of safeguarding bees and empowering communities inspires us every step of the way. Together, we’re empowering beekeepers, fostering sustainable livelihoods, and building a future where communities and the environment thrive side by side.

Let’s keep the momentum going—thank you for being an essential part of this journey!

Permalink

Sep 16, 2024
Project Renitantely Phase II has started!

By Sharone Houssenaly | Programmes and Office Assistant

Hives maintenance during the Interim Phase

Project Renitantely focuses on enhancing beekeeping as a sustainable livelihood in the Anosy region. By providing vital income opportunities through beekeeping while supporting biodiversity, the project addresses both economic and environmental challenges. Beekeeping complements traditional farming, offering households an additional source of income.

Since 2016, Project Renitantely has supported beekeepers in transforming beekeeping businesses into professional, profitable, and sustainable enterprises. During the Interim Phase (January – June 2024), significant progress was made in expanding and supporting beekeeping activities. The project grew from three to six communities, welcoming 37 new beekeepers, bringing the total to 53 participants. Monthly training sessions were delivered to strengthen beekeeping skills, such as catching wild bees, splitting hives, pest management, and honey quality testing. While only 19% of new beekeepers felt confident in basic skills at the beginning, 92% of experienced beekeepers were proficient after completing the training. Essential beekeeping equipment, including eight veils, smokers, and refractometers, was distributed to enhance sustainability.

To further expand apiaries, SEED supported the repair and construction of 70 new hives, covering 50% of material costs. As a result, the number of hives increased from 712 to 806, and all hives were made compatible with modern honey extraction standards to facilitate access to international markets

Building on the success of the Interim Phase, project Renitantely Phase II has started in July 2024 and will run until July 2026. It aims to further improve beekeepers’ productivity and product quality, while ensuring the financial and environmental sustainability of beekeeping in six communities. This phase includes enhanced honey quality standards, better market access, and financial literacy training.

Your ongoing support has made the successful evolution of the Renitantely project possible. Thank you for making a lasting impact on these communities!

Permalink

May 23, 2024
Flight of the Honeybee

By Sally Deitchman | Programmes and Office Assistant

Beekeeper training during the interim phase

As World Bee Day was just three days ago, it is the perfect time to check in with our beekeeping livelihood project, Renitantely!

With 80% of Madagascar's population living on less than $2.15 per day, providing sustainable economic opportunities is at the forefront of SEED's mission. Seeing the twofold economic and environmental potentials of beekeeping, SEED formed project Renitantely, which has worked to introduce over 80 individuals to beekeeping across the Anosy region. To do this, SEED has provided equipment and education on best beekeeping practices, resulting in high honey yields and viable honey businesses. This was supplemented by planting fruits and vegetables to increase sustainable bee forage. After achieving what phase I had sought to do and anticipating phase II, the project has now moved on to its interim phase.

The interim phase has focused on expanding beekeeper numbers, education, and equipment. So far, SEED has delivered monthly training sessions to 37 new beekeepers in five communities. Continuing to support the original beekeeping group, SEED has distributed 70 hive roofs, 80 hive frames, and foraging plants to 16 established beekeepers. The arrival of a modern honey extractor has also been a particularly exciting and key addition to the process, as it dramatically improves honey harvesting and sets businesses on the path of professionalising.

Looking ahead to phase II, SEED is excited about bolstering the financial and environmental sustainability of established beekeeping businesses. With your continued support, we will implement more efficient beekeeping techniques, honey quality standards, stronger routes to market, and a savings scheme. This will be complemented by beekeeper capacity building through financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills training, ultimately paving the way for a brighter future for these communities.

Your ongoing support has made the successful evolution of the Renitantely project possible. Thank you for all you do!

Permalink

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ... 11 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.