Beekeeping – Lonya Grande
Funded by Coffee Holding Co & OPTCO
In the Lonya Grande community of the Amazon region where coffee is grown, it is important to promote activities that allow income diversification. As coffee is the main revenue-generating product, market price volatility causes producers' living conditions to get substantially worse when prices are low.
The beekeeping activity consisting of the breeding and exploitation of the worker bee, has great potential for the production of honey, pollen, wax, royal jelly, propolis also for nutritional purposes. Honey is a carbohydrate food of a very pleasant taste whose sugars are easily digested, it also contains small amounts of protein and vitamins. Royal jelly and pollen are very nutritious foods rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. It is a food in high demand by the population who like a healthy and nutritious diet.
The project was initially considered for 3 communities: Santa Rosa, El Porvenir and Virgen de Fátima, with 4 modules in each community. However, by decision of the beneficiaries, it was agreed to install the 12 modules in one place, in the Porvenir community. In this place there are favorable environmental conditions for the life of the bees and it is far from the populated center avoiding the risk of stinging, especially for children.
Currently 10 hives have been installed. In April, when the rains decrease, the final 2 hives will be installed to complete the 12 apiaries. This collective management decision greatly facilitates technical assistance and we are sure that we will have better results.
Honey with monofloral characteristics will be produced from October to January (coffee flowering season) and polyfloral from February to September (fruit tree flowering).
It is also pending the delivery of the stainless steel extractor due to lack of environment to store and because it will still be necessary at harvest time that we expect to have in the month of April, date on which the extractor will be delivered.
The delivery of the stainless steel extractor is also pending due to a lack of storage environment and because it will still be necessary during the harvest season, they are hoping to have the extractor delivered in April.
Beekeeping projects are being setup as a micro loan, families apply for a loan to start a beekeeping business and agree to pay the funds back within two years. At that time six more families will have the opportunity to apply for a beekeeping micro loan.
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