Projects

REGIONAL BEEKEEPING DEVELOPMENT

A 1,000-Hive Beekeeping Project in Mbarara

In early 2020, Pearl Dairy approached African Beekeepers Limited to help design and establish a modern beekeeping project involving its existing dairy farmers in Mbarara, Uganda.

Nine operational zones were selected across Mbarara District. The project was designed to introduce beekeeping as an additional enterprise for participating dairy farmers while building an organized system for production, technical support and honey processing.

African Beekeepers Limited was engaged to provide three years of consultancy support covering project development, modern apiary management, technical training and field implementation.

PROJECT DESIGN

Modern Hives, Extension Support and Farmer Apiaries

ABL developed a project proposal based on the operation of 1,000 Langstroth beehives. Participating dairy farmers would each receive a number of hives and establish managed apiaries within the selected zones.

A dedicated field-extension team was included in the project design to provide regular technical support to participating farmers. The extension personnel were equipped with motorcycles and trained by ABL in modern beekeeping and Langstroth hive-management practices.

The project also incorporated plans for a modern honey-processing and packing facility in Mbarara to receive and process honey harvested from the farmer apiaries.

IMPLEMENTATION DURING THE PANDEMIC

Combining Virtual and On-Site Training

Implementation commenced in August 2020 when ABL supplied 1,000 Langstroth beehives in fully knocked-down form. The hives were transported to Mbarara and assembled on site.

Because implementation began during the COVID-19 pandemic, the initial hive-assembly training was conducted virtually through Zoom by the African Beekeepers Limited technical team.

The field-extension personnel subsequently received extensive training in Langstroth hive management. Training was delivered through a combination of virtual sessions and practical, on-site instruction in Mbarara.

APIARY ESTABLISHMENT

Distributing Hives and Building Colonies

In September 2020, the assembled beehives were issued to carefully selected farmers. The farmers worked alongside Pearl Dairy’s extension personnel to select suitable apiary locations and install the hives.

Colonization began soon after the hives were installed. By July 2021, approximately 80% of the project’s beehives had been colonized.

As the colonies grew and developed, honey super boxes were installed to provide additional space for honey storage and production.

ABL’s consultancy team continued conducting field visits and practical training as part of the ongoing capacity-development programme for Pearl Dairy’s extension personnel.

HONEY PROCESSING

From Farmer Apiaries to Packaged Honey

In March 2021, the modern honey-processing and packing facility was assembled and tested in Mbarara.

The facility was designed to receive capped honeycombs harvested from the project’s beehives. After extraction, the honey could be processed, packaged and labelled using an automated honey-packing system.

A team of personnel was recruited and trained to operate the processing facility, completing the project’s production chain from participating farmers and managed apiaries to processed and packaged honey.