PLAN BEE IMPACT IN THE REGION

Women’s Empowering through Honey Bee Farming Project Plan Bee

Hashoo Foundation is empowering women through sustainable micro enterprises in Pakistan

Project Impact in the Region – Performance Metric

Honey bee farming is emerging as one of the most profitable business activities with the potential to promote the local economy. The project is improving the women’s status in their communities as they become more integrated in the decision-making process within male-dominated societies. Economic development programs, like the Women's Empowerment through Honey Bee Farming Project Plan Bee, strengthen vulnerable communities and help decrease the influence of extremism in Pakistan.

Plan Bee started in the Gilgit region with just 50 women in 2007. To date, the project has expanded its reach and impact to the Chitral, Hunza and Skardu regions of Northern Pakistan, and has achieved some significant milestones:

- 642 Women trained in honeybee farming.
- 1,727 Beehives distributed.
- 31,000 Kg (68,343.30 lb.) of honey produced and sold between 2007-2011.
- 5,000+ Dependents obtained better nutrition, health and education.
- 1,000 Girls and boys are now attending school as a result of this project.
- 15% Increase in honey production. The production of honey has increased from 16.5 to 18 kg per beehive (36.38 lb.-39.68 lb.)
- 30% of the women have managed to expand their honeybee farming business.
- 32% Increase in women's household income:
- 60% of their income from honeybee farming on the education of their children.
- 10% on better nutrition for their families.
- 30% on healthcare expenses.

Implementation Strategy

The Hashoo Foundation commitment has scaled up based on the achievements of the activities implemented to date. The implementation strategy for 2012 includes:

1. Empowerment and mobility of women – Plan Bee will continue to mobilize women from the ‘apron to the apiary’ and into an economic environment and business setting bringing about a tangible social change in the region in a country like Pakistan where women are confined to private spaces.

2. Sustainability - Hashoo Foundation is committed to:

- Continue to provide proper management training to the current beekeepers.
- Expand the number of beekeepers in order to secure a steady supply of honey.
- Increase the number of beehives to a minimum of 5 beehives per beekeeper.
- Increase the honey production.
- Continue to develop a sustainable supply chain.
- Increase new distribution channels for honey throughout the country by adding new sales outlets, grocery stores    and bakeries.
- Introduce similar type of income generating projects for women (e.g soaps, royal jelly, propolis, pollen granules).

3. Expanding the market for selling the honey

- Hashoo Foundation’s partner, the Hashoo Group of Hotels has been instrumental in developing an immediate market for the honey:
- The hotels are paying more to purchase this honey as their Corporate Social Responsibility in the overall economic up-lifting of rural farmers and their families.
- Hashoo Group of Hotels and other partners will continue to purchase the honey for their internal consumption on the following grounds:
-The quality of honey is far superior to the one they were previously purchasing.
- The hotels will continue to give Hashoo Foundation shelf space at its bakeries to sell the honey.
- The benefit of the sale goes directly to Hashoo Foundation Programs.

About Our Mountain Honey

Hashoo Foundation’s Mountain Honey is made from mountain Rubina and Russian olive flowers free from every kind of insecticides, pesticides and other chemicals thus giving our honey a rich and natural taste. Such product purity is rare in the world so there is an enormous potential for promoting and marketing our mountain honey in both the national and international markets.

Hashoo Foundation is working toward

- Improving the Mountain Honey brand.
- Designing new packaging and labeling.
- Assisting the beekeepers in promoting their honey through Hashoo Foundation links in the United States, United Emirates and Europe.

Cost of Beehives, Training and Honey

The honey production cycle in the area is spanned over a period of six months beginning in April ending in October.

$670 will provide 5 beehives, training and refresher course, productions kits, supervision, value chain development, administration, mobilization and transportation expenses.

The cost of a beehive is $120.00. Each beehive is expected to produce 18 Kg of honey per year and will earn $72.00 per beehive per year. 5 Beehives will produce 90 kg. (198 lb.) of honey and the beekeepers will earn $360 per year.

Hashoo Foundation buys the honey from the Association of Honey Bee Producers at $4.00 per Kg. and sells the honey to the market for $5.00 per Kg. The profit is invested back in the project in processing, labeling, marketing and transportation of the honey.

Our Corporate Social Responsibility Partners and Clients

Investing in Communities

The Hashoo Group of Hotels has adopted Plan Bee as their Corporate Social Responsibility project and has chosen to purchase this honey due to its high quality and to enhance conditions for rural farmers.

The 5-Star Hotels, part of the Hashoo Group, Marriott and Pearl Continental in Pakistan, have discontinued their contracts with commercial suppliers and buy 45% the honey produced by the beekeepers in Gilgit-Baltistan. The price the hotels are paying for the women bee farmers' honey is higher than what they paid commercial suppliers.

The sale of the honey has expanded from Hashoo Group of hotels to other hotels, airlines, superstores Ministries and Embassies and other retail markets. Hashoo Foundation sells 55% of the Honey to these new markets.

Mountain Honey is sold to the following corporate partners in Pakistan
- PIA (Pakistan International Airlines)
- Hashoo Group of Hotels Marriott & Pearl-Continental
- Serena Hotels
- Canteen Supply Department (Chain of stores)
- D. Dalton
- Shaheen
- Retail Market of Embassies & Ministries

Our Funding and Implementing Partners

Pakistan Donors
- IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development)
- CNFA (Citizenship Network Foreign Affairs)

Implementing and Quality Control Partners
- Sunrise Foods.
- Northern Area Honey Beekeepers Association (NAHBKA).
- Mountain Organic Honey Traders (MOHT).
- Honey Bee Research Institute (HBRI).
- Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR).
- International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
- Mountain Organic Honey Traders Ltd (MOHT) .
- WWF-Pakistan.

US Donors
- Chapelwood Foundation.
- Walmart Foundation.
- SEP UST (University of St. Thomas Social Entrepreneurship Program).
- RMF (Rice University).
- MFi UH (University of Houston Micro Finance Initiative).
- PISA (Pakistan Indian Student Association).
- PS@B (Pakistan Students at Brown University.
- Individuals.

 

For more information
Cristal Montañéz Baylor . Executive Director Hashoo Foundation USA cristalmontanez@hashoofoundationusa.org
www.hashoofoundationusablog.org . www.hashoofoundation.org .
Direct +1 713 483 4990