World Ark Magazine - January/February 2009 - (Page 26)

T Passing on the Bees he partnership between Heifer International and Cooperativa Apicola Pionera de Honduras Limitada, or COAPIHL, began six years ago when the main cash crop, coffee, fell to 30-year lows because of a glut on the market. Throughout the course of this project, Heifer offered beehives, flowering trees and training to help small farmers increase pollination, family income and to diversify operations so they had another product, honey, to sell at local markets. Because it is difficult to pass on the gift of an offspring from the original bees, recipients were given different options to fulfill this important aspect of each Heifer project. Beekeepers could choose among three ways to pass on the gift. The first was to repay in cash the cost of the beehives they received, which COAPIHL would then use to buy 10 more hives for a new beekeeper. Another way was to produce the amount of honey or pollen that would cover the cost of 10 hives. Lastly, because each beneficiary received training on reproducing bees, he or she could choose to reproduce the hives for another in need. In that case, the cooperative would transport the hives to the pass-on recipient. Because of its success, Heifer completed its investment in this specific project in the summer of 2008, though it will work with COAPIHL and eight other groups through 2012 to strengthen microenterprise initiatives, including beekeeping work, in other areas of Honduras. hernández says that the family has also been able to buy a pig with the income from the honey. and like bautista, hernández says that she has been able to consider other means of obtaining extra income as well. while she plans to start her own business independently from the cooperative, (the front room of her home was recently stocked with sundries, and a neighbor came in to buy a drink and snack) she sometimes sells beehives to others. her children have also shown an interest in beekeeping, and have started contributing to the family’s income, hernández says. her eldest son learned how to reproduce the queen bees and sells queens when he has free time away from school. but another source of income comes from hernández’s time with the women’s group. Though it is a two-hour, oneway walk for her to reach town, she makes that journey at least once a week. T Year of Challenges he women’s group doesn’t have a designated spot or office in which to work, so they gather at members’ homes. Their work includes heating the wax, melting it and pressing it into honeycomb-shaped sheets, which are inserted into the pine frames. but the past year has been riddled with problems for both honey producers and the women’s groups. Many honduran beekeepers lost hives, which they attributed to the colder, rainier year. one producer says pests were a problem. one keeper, alvina lopez Pineda, says she experienced an unexplainable collapse of her hives—seemingly similar to colony collapse disorder that has been affecting bee populations in the united States since 2006. but whatever is harming the bees also affects the women’s group’s productivity. The group has been short on wax to produce sheets, so many of the women are not able to work, says alex rivera, the general manager of Cooperativa Apicola Pionera de Honduras Limitada. “This year it has been more difficult because of the climate changes,” rivera says. “[our producers] have seen hundreds of bees dead on the ground, but we’ve been able to control it to some extent.” before heifer partnered with the cooperative, members abandoned beekeeping in droves when the africanized honeybee migrated north. but this time, through its partnership with heifer, the co-op is able to cushion the hardships. rivera says one way the partners ensure the women’s group remains employed is to import wax from the united States. The co-op also offers credit to any member if times have been more difficult. additionally, heifer international and the co-op have added a new piece of equipment to the women’s group to www.h ei f er .o r g 26 j a n uar y / feb ruar y 2 0 0 9 | world ark http://www.heifer.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Ark Magazine - January/February 2009

World Ark Magazine - January/February 2009 Contents Letters For the Record The Good Life Asked and Answered Microfinance: A Lot for a Little Business is Buzzing in Honduras The World Grows Smaller Mixed Media Heifer Spirit Heifer Bulletin Calendar First Person

World Ark Magazine - January/February 2009

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