Footsteps Africa

Update on the Reducing Poverty through Honey Production and Distribution Project

In May of 2018, Footsteps Africa wanted to find a way to help increase the productivity of rural poor women on the outskirts of Blantrye. Women like Mary were travelling over 145kms to sell the bottles of honey to honey processors and formal retailers in the Blantyre city region. However, the honey failed to even pass the minimum quality needed by the companies. 

There were many reasons for this: 

  • Lack of modern honey production and processing skills existed among rural poor women to produce quality honey demanded by formal honey buyers and exporters 

  • Lack of modern bee hives to produce high yields quality honey 

  • Lack of proper honey extraction machines and soft knowledge on extracting honey for high-end markets 

  • Knowledge and skills gaps in proper storage, packaging and branding 

  • Knowledge gaps in business management and recording, financial literacy, access to saving and credit 

  • Lack of improved personal hygiene and lack of access to affordable clean water solutions needed in honey processing.

The story of Mary’s efforts reflects the economic struggles that women’s traditional bee keepers face in Malawi due to low-quality honey that prevent them from accessing viable markets that could generate good income for their productive efforts. Additionally, apart from honey, women beekeepers in Malawi rarely develop trade in other by-products of bee farming such as bee-wax that could double their earning potentials. 

Twisi and his team at Footsteps Africa were determined to find a way to connect all of these missing gaps in the chain. 

In the beginning the plan was to integrate this project into our water, food and income project activities in Chikhwawa district. However, after further assessment they realized  that the agroecological factors in Chikhwawa were not supportive of a successful and sustainable bee farming project.  

They reluctantly moved the project to within Blantyre rural district as a stand alone project. This went against their overall programming approach which integrates different projects to maximize impact and project management. Unfortunately an enormous forest fire gutted the hives into unrecognizable ashes. 

Fortunately, Footsteps Africa had taken out hive insurance from the supplier and they were eligible to receive compensation and replaceable Hives within three months. However, due to COVID-19, the supplier of the HIVEs was unable to import and it took them almost a year to have a consignment successfully imported into Malawi from Kenya. 

By the time they had the delivery of the second HIVEs, they were unsure of next steps. They wanted to get it right the second time. They waited patiently to find a suitable site to implement a sustainable Bee farming project that would also benefit marginal women farmers who would like to do bee farming as a business. After surveying several places, they initially settled for Nkhata-bay district in Northern Malawi. But they later changed to Mzimba district along Lunjika hills in northern Malawi because they have a plan to implement irrigation farming and renewable energy projects in the same area. 

In this way, the bee farming will be integrated into the holistic structure of all Footsteps Africa projects and allow them to successfully provide support to all our projects with the limited staff and resources they have available. 

This is a real testament to the tenacity and determination of Twisi and his team and that he followed through on the project precisely because they were given the opportunity and flexibility to reach their goals. 

Footsteps Africa

Malawi

Malawi was one of the last countries to announce a case of COVID-19. President Peter Mutharika has banned foreign nationals from some countries from entering Malawi and has told Malawians to social distance. However, the country remains open. In mid April, a lockdown was blocked by the High Court due to a challenge by the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC). It was said that more had to be done to help those that would be worst affected. The President is now starting an emergency cash transfer program. Additionally, Malawi’s Supreme Court upheld a ruling from last year that the general election has irregularities and a new election must occur no later than July 3.

Concerns, Challenges and Adaptation Measures

Footsteps Africa has received concerns from the locals that live in the villages they work in about them possibly bringing the coronavirus with them when they come to work on community projects. The rural communities have not yet seen health impacts due to the coronavirus, but have felt the economic strain.

Emergency Fund

Footsteps Africa has utilized the Emergency Fund donation from Rockflower to distribute corn grain to vulnerable, elderly women in their project areas. These women rely upon remittances sent by relatives. Due to the consequences of COVID-19, including loss of daily income, their relatives are no longer able to send them financial support.

Rockflower Partners with Footsteps Africa to Reduce Poverty in rural Malawi

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Rockflower is pleased to announce a new partnership with Footsteps Africa. They promote women’s livelihoods and health, rural youth employment readiness, and  marginalized children’s improved access to education by working at the frontier of poverty and gender inequality.

Rockflower will invest in a two year project to create business and marketing capacity for rural bee farming women to engage in honey processing and branding that can access profitable markets.

Find out more about the Reducing Poverty through Honey Production and Distribution in rural Malawi Project