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2008 CLINTON GLOBAL INITIATIVE ANNUAL REPORT

Women Empowerment through Honey Bee Farming

Background:

The Northern Areas and Chitral (NAC) are amongst the poorest and most isolated
regions in Pakistan. Due to severe weather conditions in winter, access to the region can
prove very difficult for up to six months a year. The consequences are a limited access
to education, health facilities, and a lack of gainful employment opportunities. The
economy of these areas is mainly based on subsistence agriculture organized at the
village level. However, even subsistence farming is difficult because cultivable lands are
scattered, landholding is limited and markets are distant. Unemployment in these areas
is very high and enterprise culture is hindered by the lack of storage facilities and other
Marketing services which force farmers to sell their production at once or let the produce
goes to waste. Supporting the Honeybee Production project is a relevant strategy to
provide the residents of the NAC with improved livelihoods while promoting women
advancement within their community.

A study supervised by Hashoo Foundation found large discrepancies between women


representation in the beekeeping sector of the NAC and the income they generate when
compared to their male counterparts. Women account for 55% of honeybee producers in
the NAC. Their average productivity (17.91 kg/year/hive) is slightly higher than the global
average (16.25 kg/year/hive). However, they only account for 35% of the total income
generated by honeybee production in the NAC. This discrepancy could arise from the
fact that 68.2% of women beekeepers in the NAC own less than 5 hives, which is the
critical point at which keeping bees become profitable. In the neighboring district of
Gilgit, and surrounding areas, 87% of the total honey production is purchased on the
local market. Lack of storage facilities, processing equipments, market information and
poor access prevent beekeepers from reaching potentially more profitable down-country
markets. Beekeepers are also not aware of the income supplement they could generate
through the exploitation of the four major honey by-products: beeswax, pollen, royal jelly
and propels. The Hashoo Foundation strives to reduce poverty, with a strong focus on
marginalized communities, by creating an environment in which sustainable and
dignified livelihoods is attainable to the largest population. The Women Empowerment
through Honey Bee Farming project will address the discrepancy between male and
female beekeepers in the NAC by educating and supporting women beekeepers. This
project will help give voice to marginalized women by enabling them to provide for
themselves and their dependants through beekeeping.

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This project will scale up the achievements of a previous project carried out by the Aga
Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) in this region. In the district of Gilgit,
neighboring Hashoo Foundation’s project area, the AKRSP introduced Honeybee
keeping and honey production as an income-generating activity in 1993. They provided
trainings and inputs to local beekeepers. They also tried to develop linkages to market
for the local production, but faced difficulties with the implementation. Hashoo
Foundation’s project will focus on successfully creating such linkages with markets. By
addressing local women issues, beekeepers or newcomers, providing inputs and
trainings, and focusing on the production of by-products. The Honeybee Project will
allow these women to increase their income and to become more integrated in decision-
making process within their community.

We commit to empower women in Northern Pakistan through the Women’s Honeybee


Production project with training, microfinance and access to market which enables them
to generate a stable source of income to provide for their dependants and themselves in
a sustainable and dignified way.

Commitment Progress:

i. Hashoo Foundation has mobilized the local organization of producers (Northern


Areas Honey Bee Keepers Welfare Association – NAHBKWA) to expand the
training base and increase the production of honey. As a result, 30 women were
trained and 20 engaged in the production of honey. NAHBKWA is financed by the
Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) and assist the producers in the
purchasing of their equipment.
ii. Most of the female producers have gained access to employment through this
program. Due to the mobilization activities carried out by Hashoo Foundation, their
type of work and lifestyle of the beneficiaries has changed: they shifted from
traditional house chores to being involved in many technical aspects of honeybee
farming (extraction, harvesting, etc.)
iii. Based on field observation, female beekeepers have increased their productivity
from 16 to 18 kg /year/hive during the reporting period. They are also involved in
the production of bee wax and pollen as a by-product, albeit very still marginal.
Their production is sold both in and outside local markets.
iv. One production unit of beekeepers has been organized in the Northern Area
(Gilgit).
v. Hashoo Foundation’s strategy is to consolidate the five-star hotels’ market before
expanding the basis of regular customers. Hashoo Group of Hotels has already
purchased 80% of the agreed-upon 5.5 MT of honey during the reporting period.
vi. The project management team is currently reassessing this particular component.
To date, the production of honey is still insufficient to generate income large
enough to be re-invested in the community by investing in services. However, on
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an individual basis, the female producers have been able to increase their
expenses in services for their families, such as health, education, etc.
vii. 90 producers and 600 dependents are benefiting from honey project
viii. 60% of the honey producers associated in NAHBKWA are women
ix. 90 honey producers sold their honey product to distant market (Hashoo Group of
Hotels)
x. The standards of production have improved dramatically: honeybee farmers
adapted from producing for a local market to producing for 5-star hotels customers.
To ensure the highest standards of quality, Pakistan Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research (PCSIR) is conducting regular random tests of honey for
Hashoo Foundation.
xi. Steps have been taken to obtain a fair trade certificate for the honey sold under this
project. In the same drive for quality, Hashoo Foundation is working toward
obtaining internationally recognized organic certification for the honey.

Lessons Learned:
There are several lessons learned during the period of one year. As mentioned above,
honeybee farmers had to adapt from producing for a local market to producing for 5-star
hotels customers – an extremely demanding market segment. The important lessons
learned process came from packaging and transporting the honey to ensure maximum
satisfaction of our customers:

i. Proper technical human resources and packaging materials are not available at the
production site; as a result the project faced a lot of problems. Honey leaked from its
package and customers found it hard to open our initial single serving package.
ii. To fix this problem, raw materials were procured from southern regions of Pakistan
to the production site in the North. Packing of honey is now done at the site for the
1kg jar and the finished product is transported to the South for sale. However, to cut
down costs, it was decided to outsource the 20g single serving pack and the 450g
bottles to food packaging companies around Islamabad.

Stories from the Field:

Meher Bano: “Now we are optimistic about the future”

Ms. Meher Bano is a resident from a small village called Danyore in the Northern Area of
Pakistan. She has 5 daughters and 1 son and all her children go to school or university.
Seven years ago, she started a small honey bee farming business with a single bee
hive. Today, she has 20 bee hives. During the year 2007-08, she earned PKR 170,000
(approx. US$ 2,600) from her honey bee business. This income helps her pay for her
children’s education, her family’s health and various daily expenses for the household.

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She is a very committed and hardworking woman. However, local market for honey bee
keepers is very limited and can barely absorb the quantity of honey produced in the
area. This is why Meher Bano is very happy with Hashoo Foundation’s intervention.
Through HF’s marketing, she could sell her honey to 5-star hotels throughout Pakistan,
to customers coming from all over the world – something she is very proud of. “Now we
are very optimistic about the future” she says. “Hashoo Foundation will help market our
honey, and produce wax and jelly”. Thanks to her honey business, she can support her
family financially and set an example for other female entrepreneur in her community.

Jamila: “The honey I produce pays for my children’s education”

Ms. Jamila is a resident from a small village called Danyore in the Northern Area of
Pakistan. She is mother of 2 sons and 1 daughter and all of them are getting education
in schools. Five years ago she started honey bee farming business with two bee hives.
Today she has 20 bee hives. During the year 2007-08 she earned PKR 150,000 (approx
US$ 2,300) from honey bee business.

“The honey I produced pays for my children’s education” Jamila says proudly. Not only
that, but Jamila also provides for the health and daily expenses of her family. When we
met to her, she was very happy with Hashoo Foundation’s intervention. She too felt
constrained by the limited local market which brought prices down due to constant
surplus of honey.

Now, she knows she will be able to sell her entire production… and more. “Hashoo
Foundation has helped us find new markets for our honey”, she says. She will take part
in the upcoming refresher training courses to not only increase her production but also
venture in the production of very lucrative by-products.

Future Plans:

i. Strengthen the program by developing partnerships with other NGOs, mobilizing


additional communities and expanding the number of trainees to 50 in the Northern
Areas and 100 in Chitral region
ii. Improve quality control mechanisms
iii. Replicate the program to other rural areas of Pakistan, including Chitral
iv. To increase honey production
v. 20 MT honey to be sold in the open market
vi. Increase the number of direct and indirect beneficiaries
vii. Improve the quality of packaging
viii. Obtain fair trade certification
ix. Explore international markets for the honey
x. Obtain internationally-recognized organic certification
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Partnerships:

 Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP): training


 Hashoo Group of Hotels: customers
 Mountain Organic Honey Trader (MOHT): collection and processing unit in Gilgit
 Northern Area Honey Bee Keepers Welfare Association (NAHBKWA): Producers’
association in Gilgit
 MOGH Ltd.: collection and processing unit in Chitral
 Sarhad Rural Support Program: training
 Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research: technical advisor, testing
facility
 Mr. Bee & Sun Rise Company: packaging company

Resources Needed:

A measurable amount of resources to be needed for honey bee farming project, but
some of the important resources has been highlighted in the blow table.

1. Equipment

S# Items Name Quantity Unit cost US$ Total cost US$


1 Boxes with Bees 100 90 9000
2 Stainless steel smokers 20 27.5 550
3 Comb cutter 20 9.50 190
4 Bee Brush 20 3.95 79
5 Hand Crank Extractor 10 349.95 3499.5
6 Filter Baskets (360 bottling Tank) 10 79.95 799.5
7 Stainless steel Storage Tank 05 179.95 899.75
8 Deluxe Solar Wax Melter 05 399.95 1999.75
9 Wax Pans 10 9.95 99.5

2. Human Resources

 Expert in international marketing to export our honey to EU and US markets


 Expert in fair trade certification to facilitate the certification process
 Expert in organic certification to facilitate a certification process respecting
international standards

Media opportunities:

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Hashoo Foundation’s Women Empowerment through Honey Bee Farming has been
selected as one of the 12 finalists of the prestigious BBC World Challenge 2008 among
700 nominations. BBC World will produce a documentary on the project which will be
featured on the channel as well as in Newsweek from October 1st 2008 until the end of
the voting stage on November 21st 2008. This will be an excellent media opportunity for
this project to reach out to audience worldwide and establish it as a solid development
model.

Description of Action(s) community mobilization and marketing of honey produced by the


female producers of the Northern Areas and Chitral in Pakistan

Implementation Period (01/08/2007-30/06/2008)

Location (Village/Town/City, Country); Northern Areas (Gilgit and Ghizer), NWFP (Chitral
City), Pakistan

Required funding for the project is approximately $144,700 including material, labor
costs, training, etc.

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