Honey Success Story
(Link to Honey Production Project Description)
THE BUZZ OF HONEY: Increasing Production, Improving Quality, and Ensuring Profitability in the National Marketplace of Bolivia
Sweetness From the Yungas
Due to its climate and diversity of trees and vegetation, the Yungas region is an ideal location for bee keeping and honey production. In providing one viable alternative to coca production for small- and large-scale farmers, honey production and its by-products have strong market potential and represent a feasible income-generating activity.
However, traditional honey production methods often resulted in contamination, with honey inferior in quality and unable to compete in the national marketplace. Bee keepers in the Yungas struggled to compare with the lower-priced, higher-quality honey produced in nearby Santa Cruz and neighboring Argentina.
Under the Yungas Community Alternative Development Fund (YCADF), two ACDI/VOCA volunteers worked closely with bee keepers in the Irupana, Caranavi and Alto Beni regions of the Yungas to reduce costs, improve the quality and levels of honey production and position Yungas honey as a lucrative product in the national marketplace of Bolivia.
One such collaboration of honey producers in Irupana, known as Industrias Alimenticias de Irupana (IADI) has become a leader in natural and organic foods. IADI produces more than 70 products focusing on those from the bee keeping industry such as honey, propoleos, royal jelly and pollen. These ingredients are used in organic and natural food products like granola and power bars. The IADI organization currently collects raw materials from over 40 families in the Irupana area of the Yungas. Professional goals include plans to encompass additional geographic regions and form alliances with other producers.
Technical Volunteers Make a Difference
Dr. Timothy Haarmann, ecologist and technical staff member at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of California, spent two weeks providing technical assistance, focusing on honey production and colony management. Dr. Haarmann’s expertise and generosity enabled him to conduct a crucial analysis of the productive potential of honey and other related products in the region.
Dr. Haarmann visited 15 beekeepers who participate in the IADI honey cooperative. Training sessions were held for both bee keepers and IADI office staff in colony management, bee biology, honey production, honey harvesting techniques, queen rearing, and bee diseases. A new kind of bee hive (top bar hive), a more appropriate technology for the small-scale bee keeper, was introduced while larger-scale bee keepers were encouraged to acquire more beehives, and locate and secure more apiaries. Recommendations for the optimum number of colonies per apiary and distance between apiaries were provided. "It is better to have a few well-managed colonies than many poorly-managed colonies," said Dr. Haarmann. Long-term strategies were discussed for both small- and large-scale bee keepers as part of the honey cooperative.
Additional benefits from Dr. Haarmann's visit included the development of educational materials, including an informative radio program and bee keeping pamphlets. Dr. Haarmann worked with IADI to improve the honey straining system and the packaging process within the processing plant in La Paz. IADI staff was trained in the chemical characteristics of the honey and what to look for when buying and judging the quality of honey.
In a similar project, as part of the YCADF grant, ACDI/VOCA volunteer Joe Rowland, owner of Beeman Apiaries and an expert in small-scale commercial beekeeping in North America and developing countries, worked with the 77 members of the Ecological Beekeepers Association of Caranavi (ASAPEC). He orchestrated the purchase and delivery of wooden hives, bee-keeping apparel, and honey processing equipment. He lent his expertise in extensive long-term training in association development, honey production, post-harvest processing and marketing.
Founded in 2001, through the support of the municipal government, ASAPEC's purpose is to strengthen the apiculture sector of the region. Help was needed for the organization however, because low yields threatened its efficiency. One beehive typically can produce 30 to 40 kilos a year; hives in Caranavi and Alto Beni produced only 20. Mr. Rowland responded with urgent measures to reduce costs, improve the quality of honey and levels of production, and bring honey produced in the Yungas to the national marketplace. Focusing on honey production in the Caranavi and Alto Beni regions of the Yungas, Mr. Rowland also provided technical assistance in the development of honey byproducts. As a result of all these measures combined, ASAPEC producers increased yields to 60 kilos per beehive, tripling their output!
The Flow of Honey Continues
Once Dr. Haarmann identified the use of proper protective gear as a key element in the management of bee colonies, he showed how bee keepers who wear protective clothing are able to increase the volume of honey production. Since African bees found in the Yungas can be extremely aggressive, wearing appropriate protective gear lessens the occurrence of the unpleasant sting and producers who are protected are more likely to spend time properly managing each colony. Fewer bee stings also encourage new bee keepers to stay involved in the business of bee keeping.
To further the marketing aspect of bee keeping, several efforts to bring the Yungas honey to larger markets have benefited both the ASAPEC and IADI. In November 2003, ASAPEC participated in the National Handicrafts and Small Enterprise Fair (Feria Nacional de Artesania y Pequena Industria). Their exhibit included live honey bees in a glass-encased comb and samples of honey for tasting. Honey was also sold in two different sized plastic bottles. According to Juan Gutierrez, President of ASAPEC, "The fair was a total success. In just two weeks, we sold 90% of our total annual production. People who were afraid to join ASAPEC before because they were concerned about being associated with alternative development now want to join." A group of honey producers from La Asunta, Miel Yungas, also provided samples of honey and sold jars at the fair, alongside ASAPEC. Their participation generated increased interest from honey producers in La Asunta in participating in alternative development activities. Additionally, one member of ASAPEC joined the YCADF-sponsored delegation which attended the BIOFACH trade show in Brazil in September 2004.
With the technical assistance of ACDI-VOCA volunteers, beekeeping and the production of honey has brought increased income to the farmers of the Yungas, improving their quality of life and contributing to a new economic future for the region. Such community impact brings renewed hope in the fight to alleviate poverty in one of the poorest countries in the world.
