Safe Haven partners are taking up the opportunity to develop beekeeping by implementing Beekeeper Outgrower Programs.
The Haven Program aims to meet the growing demand for providing secure, toxin-free habitats for honey bees. It serves as a platform not only for highlighting conservation efforts but also for celebrating honey bees as crucial pollinators, advocating for the protection of all pollinators, and emphasizing the necessity of safeguarding them to maintain sustainable biodiversity corridors.
What’s the outgrower program all about?
It involves landowners who dedicate land to honey beekeeping and commit to training an individual, known as the Bee Champion, to become a skilled beekeeper on their property. The Bee Champion undergoes both theoretical and practical training and then nominates other trainees, typically farmworkers, to join the project and receive similar training. Each trainee, referred to as a Newbee, is provided with a complete starter kit for beekeeping and their training costs are covered by the landowner, including ongoing professional development.
In exchange for this support, the Newbee agrees to sell a portion of the honey produced back to the landowner. Additionally, a portion of the initial investment made by the landowner is gradually repaid by the Newbee based on the sales of honey, ensuring a fair return on investment.
This is an upliftment program, one that supports the development of beekeeping in this region. It serves to upskill and enhance the quality of life of all parties to it, and it is intended to support an increase in honey bee populations in the region and contribute to the security of the honey bees role as it is within the matrix of that biodiversity.
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