Eco-Bees Commercial Bee Farming project.

Economic and Environmental transformation through modern, large scale bee farming. 

For millions of years, bees have been a great driver of the ecosystem. They have aided in increased output in food crops by simulating fruiting through pollution in addition to providing honey that has been used for its medical properties to treat people, improve body immunity, processing of foods, and most recently used as a critical component in making beauty products.

 However,  in recent years, bees have reduced in numbers due to climatic changes and several environmental changes brought about by man's technological advancements.

These have greatly affected other mans economic and social activities especially agriculture which has been the main back born in food production in east Africa and Africa at large for both subsistence and commercial gain all year round leading to low agri-outputs to meet the growing populations and also negatively affecting the quality output of different crops calling for low demand in the local and international markets leaving many in poverty states and with hunger.

In addition, the problem has also created a large gap between supply and demand for honey in the world market causing an increase in the cost of production of medicines and in turn an increase in the cost of health care for the people.

Eco-Bees honey production project has proposed an agro-business bee investment project that will enable people of all age groups to increase the numbers of bees and honey outputs to close the gap in honey demand in the world market, increase food production and additionally create employment for many youths and women plus transform the environment positively to its evergreen state.

The solution involves large-scale modern bee farming with advanced and improved bee hives that can produce over 15 to 25 liters of honey per harvest and a total of 3 to 4 honey harvests per year. With this production rate and capacity, we can supply all year round and meet the high honey demand in Kenya and for export at large.

In addition, the bee haves will easily attract bees in a short time due to the presence of bee-attracting oil used will build the hives abling instant occupation by bees and providing a safe breeding grounding for them hence more bees to pollinate flowers of trees and food crops increasing on the fruiting rates and quality output for farmers around our bee farm.

This project will also create an investment opportunity for many people by providing them bee hives to buy, us setting them up in our farms, allowing us to boost honey production and bring profitable returns to our investors by selling the honey from the hives they bought and splitting the sales from the 4 or 3 harvests half as returns to investment and a half for continuity and different costs of the farm.

With this project, we shall be able to increase the number of bees, generate profitable returns and create employment for the youths and women both on the farm and in sales. With an increase in food output at large.

Our solution aims to positively affect the lives and environment of the kiligori village where our farmlands are located. This is through improving the economic well-being of the people by employing them as caretakers, honey harvesters, and sales agents. Improving food production in the region and Kenya at large through increased pollination by the bees lowering hunger in the country and transforming lives for the better.

PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The main goal of the project is to increase the population of bees hence allowing an increase in food crop production and improving the quality and quantity output of honey making the economy stronger through exports of honey and also eradicating hunger due to increased food crop fruiting.

The specific objectives of the project include:

• To provide a safe breeding ground for bees that will enable them to increase in number affecting the ecosystem and positively improving lives for the better.
• To procure standard bee hives that will produce over 15- 25 litter of honey per harvest of high quality and market value. 
• To have cash in hand to run the organization's activities of buying packaging materials, transporting, processing, marketing, and paying the workers and lab tests inclusive.
• To safeguard the project with a trusted insurances company, because we believe in protecting our partner's input for there, is no good reward without risk

 PROJECT OUTCOME AND RESULT 

• The primary outcome of the project is an increase in the bee population in the area and the country at large.
• An increase in food production and fruiting, reducing hunger, malnutrition, and poverty in the country.
• Penetration of the honey market outside and within the economy with high quality and quantity honey output.
• Creation of employment opportunities for the youths in the country as marketing agents, workers on the farm, and accountants.

 Project Output 

• Provision of high-quality honey output that is of high monetary value.
• provision of a safe breeding ground for bees increasing their pollution.
• Construction of an advanced storage facility in northern Kenya.
• Employment opportunities for over(20-100) youths and women in the project.
• Improvement in the market value of the final goods as a result of quality bee hives used during processing.
• Ensuring constant returns to our investors.

                                             Team members

Name:  Augustine Wahome

Position:

Senior project manager and CEO Eco-Bees.

Experience:

Has carried out several agro-projects hence the farm is not a new environment.

Skills:

·       Financial analysis and budgeting

·       Project implementation and management.

·       Communication.

·       Social relation and relationship building.  

• In addition, we are currently in ownership of 7 acres of land in Kiligoris where we are to set up the bee farm and hives. This is a starting advantage for the project and room for expansion. 

We have carried out a baseline survey to understand and identify the needs of the kiligoris and people through their knowledge, attitude, and practices. With this information and data, we can serve this community positively and to the best of their need and also run our project peacefully 

In addition, we have collected data information from bee hive producers like (the hive) on the cost of each bee hive, equipment needed to run the project, and where to get them plus also got data from experienced small-scale bee farmers on how to get high-quality and quantity honey output from our project, for example, best practices and many others.

Our solution is modern and self-sustainable in the long run through producing high-quality and quantity honey output all year round increasing the honey supply in the country and the world market closing the high demand-supply gap of honey.

In addition, the project will allow young investors to build in that they will be able to have part of the project by purchasing 10 to 50 hives and setting them up in our farms where the honey outputs will be marketable and profitable to them in terms of returns.

more so, to ensure quality honey output, we shall plant sunflowers on the farm which will not only make the honey output more organic but we shall also be able to supply sunflowers that will provide healthy cooking oil to the different beneficiaries.

In the next year, our project will increase the bee population. This will affect the quantity and quality of food crops highly in the country and also on a plus side supply high quality and quantity of honey to the market, improving the economic position of the people and reducing on hunger and malnutrition among children, women, and youths.  

We shall achieve this by buying and setting up over 200 modern bee hives on our Kiligoris farmland of 7 acres that has enough room for expansion as the project grows giving more breeding ground for the bees to increase in numbers and bring about increase in food production and fruiting , plus turning the environment to it green nature.  

Our solution is an agribusiness type that greatly relies on modern bee farming tools and methods in order to produce quality and quantity outputs that are marketable and profitable in order to benefit the different parties involved economically and socially both directly or indirectly.

We are looking to serve millions of people in the next year in or outside the country be it directly through employment, investment opportunity, and quality honey from our farm for consumption and industrial use or indirectly through an increase in farm crop production of the locals and increased vegetation cover from pollination done by the bees from our project. 

Currently, our main and only problem is capital to jump-start the project through purchasing of the standard modern bee hives, employment of the workers in the farm, sales and marketing, and purchasing of means of transportation and construction of a standard storage facility in the farmland.

We are currently not working with any organization but we are hopping to partner with Hive company ltd in order to purchase high quality bee hives and also get available market for our honey out puts making our project profitable.

 Project: Eco-Bees Commercial Bee Farming project.

Key Resources

(What resources will you need to run your

activities? People, finance, access?)

• Donor network
• Capital
• Brand
• Investors 
• Market

Key Activities

(What program and non-program

activities will your organization be carrying

out?)

• Baseline survey of the farmland area
• purchasing of relevant bee hives 
• worker recruitment and training 
• Fencing of the farmland
• Setting up the bee hives 
• Contraction of a modern storage facility on the farm

Partners and Key stakeholders

(Who are the essential groups you will need

to involve to deliver your program? Do

you need special access or permissions?)

• Community leaders and elders
• Beehive producers and suppliers 
• Investors 

Type of Intervention

(What is the format of your intervention? Is

Is it a workshop? A service? A product?)

• Increase in bees pollution and high quality, quantity honey output  

Segments

(Who benefits from your

intervention?)

 • Over 1000s of farmers in terms of their crop output, youths, and women in form of employment, and investors in terms of returns on investment. 

Value Proposition

(Beneficiary Value Proposition)

• Provision of safe breeding grounds for bees to increase the population hence increasing food out due to high pollination rates in the area and also the production of high-quality honey solving the issues of reduced food output, poor health, and poverty in Kenya 

Beneficiaries

(Who are the people or organizations who

will pay to address this issue?)

 • our investors and customers of honey worldwide.

• The crop farmers around our bee farm 

Channels

(How are you reaching your users and

customers?)

• social media marketing

• Sale stores and operation countrywide
• farm visits and tours.
• charity and community welfare. 

Revenue

(Break down your revenue sources by %)

• Grants and Donations  30%
• investor capital 10%
• profit reinvestment 60%

Cost Structure

(What are the biggest expenses that the project will incur)

• Staff
• Transportation
• Materials and labor
• Construction of a modern honey storage facility
• Fencing and insuring of the farmland for fewer risks
• Research and lab tests

Impact measure

• Increase in the number of bees breeding in the country 
• Increase in employment and economic position of the people in the community
• Reduced cases of mental health problems due to hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation.

Customer value proposition

(What do your customers want to get out of

this initiative?)

• Provide affordable high-quality and quantity honey to meet the demand locally and internationally.

1.0 PROJECT FRAMEWORK

Appendix I - Work Plan

Project Summary

Indicators

Means of Verification

Risks/

Assumptions

Goal

Creating constant profitability for investors and members

# Of honey sales and giving 2\4 of harvest earnings of their initial investment to investors

Sales reports

Unfavorable changes in market prices of honey

Outcomes

Creating a constant market for our honey output

# Of investors getting their promised returns in the project

Yearly report

(Photos of project receipts)

Increased input costs

Outputs

High-quality and quantity honey output

# Of honey (15-20) liters per hive produced for the market.

Yearly report

Adverse weather conditions and fire outbreaks

Activities

Securing the investment land, purchasing bee hives, and processing

# Of bee hives purchased and set up in a fully fenced farmland

Monthly report

(Photo evidence provided)

Lack of management skills.

Appendix II – Implementation Schedule (Work Plan)

Output

Activity Description

1st Quarter

2nd Quarter

3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

1.1

Clearing the project land and securing it with a fence.

2.1

Purchasing and installing the bee hives in the project land.

2.2

Benchmark and Training of the workers on how to handle the hives and know when the harvest is ready plus provide them with more knowledge on farming.

2.3

Waiting for the honey bees to fully occupy the hives. 

2.4

Harvesting of the honey without tampering with the combs and wax to allow continuity in honey production

Assessment and storage

Evaluation and marketing