-Early-stage education at schools, clubs and community support.
-This new and improved productivity initiative could produce 50 pounds of honey per hive sold at BBD $25.00 per pound (per lb); resulting in a BBD $15,000,000.00 apiculture industry. The initiative will certainly foster the creation of jobs, business partnerships, and social responsibility, improve the agricultural sector, its economic importance, sustainability and stability; and resolve the most important environmental issue of conservation and protection of biodiversity and the life of pollinators on the island.
-The BAAI must provide tangible benefits to its members, accounting for the growth in membership. Some of the services would be the ability to provide information to beekeepers and to educate and train its members and youth.
-Training in entrepreneurial skills
BAAI will work closely with the parishes? rural communities, community centers, women associations, schools and the Barbados 4-H Foundation youth clubs
-Youth in bee-keeping programmes
-Youth clubs? education and training through school programmes with agriculture inclined curriculum
-Youth volunteers for the project and focus group discussions
Replication of project activities
The association?s plan is to create a formal certified CVQ course with the TVET Council to facilitate beekeepers to have a professional certification to offer services regionally.
Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment
The conduct of community and public educational series of workshops on the importance of bees to pollination, the dangers of pesticides to bees, protecting the bee population, and reducing the destruction of local species of flora necessary for foraging will be completed. The BAAI members will conduct these on a benevolent basis or for a small fee/donation.
Youth clubs involvement through education in theory and practice at Barbados? schools with rural/agricultural curricular components: MCC, Alleyne School, Grantley Adams, Alexandra, Deighton Griffith Secondary School.
Creation and dissemination of educational literature: brochures and flyers.
Distribution of educational material via digital and visual mediums, such as cartoons like: ?The Adventures of Maya the Bee (German: Die Biene Maja) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0zL2JQj3lc. The story depicts Maya's development from an adventurous youngster to a responsible adult member of bee society.?- Wikipedia.
Distance collaboration with existing associations with Youth in beekeeping programmes http://pennapic.org/youthinbeekeeping.html and collaboration with women associations will be carried out.
Capacity - Building Component
The organisation has a strong board and they are very serious and committed to moving forward the organisation. The bpard members are very experienced as a few of them have more than 20 years of beekeeping experience that ensures expertise and further capacity building among other members.
In addition, three representatives of the organisation have acquired some formal education in a form of Bee College participation that may serve as a pre-requisite to further qualification.
The weaknesses however, include, dormant beekeeping policy as there are are no clear protocols, guidelines or procedures on location liability for beekeeping , honey production policy and other permits. The project needs a project developer to ensure the smooth operations and execution of the activities. A small pool of candidates have been identified for recruitment.
Little government support - due to past operations defunct operations, the local government paid little attention to the sub-sector and therefore strengthening of the BAAI should revive the government as a stakeholder interest and support.
Stable funds - access to funds or search for donors has not been established as a common procedure within the organisation. However, teh proposal to the GEF SGP is a milestone in this direction.
Capacity building activities:
The recruitment of additional human resources (Contracted Project Developer/Consultant, Law/Government Liaison Consultant, and an established Beekeeper) for the implementation of the project is necessary. Additional training in Apiculture for the BAAI management team and keen bee- keepers/implementers, business community leaders will be prioritised in the beginning of the project. Building of the cottage industry facility, equipment acquisition and piloting the small scale honey production line by the BAAI?s interested parties is the other capacity to be realised with the help of the trained and experienced BAAI management team, Barbados beekeepers and business representatives. The BAAI key responsible activity implementers by name are yet to be appointed during the BAAI?s Annual General Meeting.
Project sustainability
The project can be sustained if the association increases its sensitization of the advantages of beekeeping encouraging the public to join the association and become beekeepers. Also, sustainability can be achieved if the association moves to a for profit operating system, the hives owned and maintained by the association can produce honey and honey by-products which can be sold and the revenue collected.
Gender Focus
The project provides equal opportunities for men and women. However, it is to note that beekeeping in Barbados has traditionally been a predominantly male business. BAAI has 7 male members on board and the majority of the beekeepers and farmers are males. BAAI?s AGM has an agenda item to increase the number of women on the executive team in the project by at least 3. The first source for locating and encouraging the participation of women will be among existing women-beekeepers and BAAI members.
Creation of new opportunities for men that are unemployed or seeking a business stream to explore is one of the benefits. Young male involvement in beekeeping will ensure the transfer of knowledge and practice from one generation to the other. Young male participation in the project will keep them active while protecting from the acts of violence and crime teenage male groups tend to involve themselves in.
Policy Influence
There have been consultations and collaboration with the Trinidad & Tobago Beekeepers? Association. As the twin-island republic is more advanced in its policy and legislation in Apiculture. These discussions will serve as a guide for the legal consultant who will soon be contracted.
Policy Impact
Yes. The project intends to provide the required adjustments to appropriate policy and beekeeping development strategies.
Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples
n/a
Project Results
All activities were finalized through discussions at the planning committee level. This is where the tasks such as recruitment of the project assistant and legal consultants were finalized; as well as the proposition and selection of the five demonstration sites, and the processing site. The planning committee also determined the equipment which needed to be procured to outfit and equip the secretariat, the demonstration sites and processing facility. This step was also taken to determine the items which were donated to the 4H Group of Barbados.
Various quotations were collected to ensure that the most cost-effective office supplies, beekeeping equipment, and processing equipment were purchased. To facilitate the recruitment of the government liaison/legal consultant the planning committee proposed three candidates to whom offer letters were forwarded to, these individuals were asked to respond formally with a letter of interest and a quotation for the services needed.
To complete the awareness and sensitization component of the project the Association hosted a Flowering Plant Exchange Social, a series of online Train-The-Trainer presentations, a certification workshop webinar, and a Spotlight-On-Bees -Introduction to Beekeeping Secondary School Web Series. These presentations were made by experienced members of the association, a representative from the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Barbados National Standards Institute. The association was also able to produce flyers to further sensitize the public, primarily the school children. The project was able to sensitize five (5) secondary schools. These were the St. Leonard?s Boys, Springer Memorial, Coleridge and Parry Secondary, Deighton Griffith Secondary, and the Grantley Adams Memorial Secondary Schools.
The planning committee worked with a website developer to construct the association?s website which was successfully launched, this was followed up with training with training of BAS staff and a representative of the executive in training of website maintenance.
The innovation which was brought to the project was the increased use of technology for more efficient communications. This was achieved through the training of association members in the use of technological and social media platforms and smart devices to support inclusion and engagement during virtual meetings, training session and workshops.
