Enhancing the Competitiveness of the Zambia Apiculture Industry: Honey Value Chain Development, SNV, 2008

Description
This study begins by examining the rationale behind SNV's decision to support the Zambian honey sector. It then outlines key development goals, and the actions through which SNV aims to achieve them. Among other things, SNV's two-year programme seeks to contribute to an increase in income for 15,000 beekeepers, from $1 a day to $3 a day. The programme also intends to facilitate 20 market linkages for producers and processors of beeswax and honey, worth $1,000,000.

Summary of results
The SNV strategy has three core components:

1. Build the sector¿s processing and marketing capacity, stimulating its competitiveness
2. Build the capacity of bee keepers to produce more, and higher quality, honey
3. Strengthen coordination capacity throughout the value chain, to enhance organisation, dialogue and collaboration.

SNV intends to intervene in the following ways:

1. Assist the establishment of bulking and collection systems
2. Facilitate the provision of extension services
3. Form and strengthen beekeeper cooperatives
4. Facilitate the development of an input supplier system
5. Profile local and regional honey markets
6. Broker market and business linkages
7. Facilitate access to finance for beekeepers
8. Improve auditing of cooperatives
9. Promote HIV mitigation in cooperatives and processors
10. Facilitate compliance to relevant standards