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Project Grant:
The Project is funded by USAID, through US Small
Grants and Ambassador Fund Program, under
contract with National Rural Support Program
Pakistan.
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Project
Duration:
The duration of this project is 12 months -
April 2014 to March 2015
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Target Location: Sakesar-Soon Valley,
District Khushab
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Project Goal:
Empowering 180 women in Soon Valley of district
Khushab through training on domestic honeybee farming,
provision bee farming boxes and tools and connecting
women bee farmers with the network of honey buyers
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Project Objectives:
- • 180 women of Soon
Valley-Khushab will be trained in honeybee farming
• 180 women of Soon Valley-Khushab will produce
honey
• 180 women bee keepers of Soon Valley-Khushab will
sell honey to the secure channels
• 180 households of Soon Valley-Khushab will
increase their income by 150%
• 1,800 dependents will have their lives improved
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Intervention
Rationale:
Like most rural areas of Pakistan, women of
Union Council Naushera (Soon Valley), Tehsil and
District Khushab, Punjab are traditionally
involved in household chores, taking care of
children, working in the fields, managing the
livestock, collecting fuel wood etc..
Unfortunately all this endless effort goes
unnoticed as their work does not bring money to
the family. They enjoy low social status and
have very little or no say in making the key
decisions. It is important to recognize their
efforts and improve their social status mainly
through economic empowerment. The proposed
project aims to economically empower 180 women
honeybee farmers from 18 villages of Soon Valley
of District Khushab by increasing the
productivity of honey and subsequently the
income associated with it. This is to be
achieved through refresher training in honey bee
farming, provision of honey production lit,
honeybee boxes and establishing linkages with
honey buyers from local and other markets of
Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The beekeeping
will also support in improving fruit production
in the valley as honey bees also work as
pollinating insects.
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Project
Activities:
1) Honey Bee Keeping Training
2) Provision of Kit
3) Linkages Development with Buyers:
a)
Project Launching Workshop
b) Formation of Project Committees
c) Identification / Selection of Beneficiaries
d) Verification of Beneficiaries
f) Community Mobilization / Groups Formation
g) Baseline Study on Honeybee Women Farmers
h) Procurement of Beehives and Tools
i) Honeybee Farming Skills & Training
j) Providing Essential Tools to the Trained Bee Farmers
k) Technical Backstopping of the Beneficiaries
l) Promoting Organic Honey
m) Establishing Market Linkages
n) Benchmark Study
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Intended
Impact of the Project:
The proposed project aims to improve
productivity and income of 180 women honey bee
farmers of Soon Valley of District Khushab. The
regular income for the women through the sale of
honey will allow these 180 women not only to
continue producing honey with two boxes provided
to each woman through project resources but to
expand their home based enterprise. By establish
three associations of honeybee producing women
one in each cluster of 6 villages, this will
allow the women to have a collective voice and
bargaining power for selling their produce, more
importantly this network will ensure the
structured social enterprises with the support
of each other. Hence the proposed project will
demonstrate the true essence of entrepreneurial
model. The beekeeping will also support in
improving fruit production in the valley as
honey bees also work as pollinating agents. This
home based earning will enable families to pay
for their children’s education, besides other
pressing needs like healthcare, groceries etc.
Proposed beneficiaries will use their house
courtyards for honeybee farming and will
continue possessing the place.
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