Zambia's trade ambitions abuzz - with honey: From improved quality to better sales connections to streamlined processing, a range of efforts means more income.

• Author: Ramsay, Deanna
• Position: SPECIAL REPORT

There are not a lot of opportunities for income in rural Zambia, a sad fact that is especially true for women.

To earn extra money, approximately 30,000 Zambians practice a traditional form of beekeeping. This is done mostly by men as the customary bark hives are placed high in trees and require climbing to harvest.

But now, after the Zambian government identified honey as a priority sector to diversify an economy largely dependent on copper exports, there are a host of new income opportunities for women and small businesses. Export figures indicates that the country's honey exports have increased by 700% over the last five years.

'In the honey sector in Zambia there was a lot of space to make an impact as beekeepers weren't producing as much as they could, and were less connected to buyers,' said Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) coordinator Simon Hess, who manages EIF's work with the country's honey sector. 'On the other side, local processors needed support with food safety requirements and access to export markets.'

Following complementary supply and marketing efforts by EIF and the International Trade Centre (ITC), respectively, beekeeper productivity increased, honey quality improved, food safety certifications (HAACP) were obtained and new international buyers were secured.

'This is pro-poor work that benefits women, small businesses and the environment as well,' said ITC's Kevin Musa, who managed ITC's interventions in Zambia. 'Our efforts on the marketing side, with the complementarity of EIF's on the supply end, addressed the entire honey value chain for best results, and the path is set.'

A HIVE OF ACTIVITY

Over five years the Government of Zambia, EIF and SNV, a Dutch non-governmental organization, worked around 6,000 beekeepers, or approximately 20% of the estimated total beekeepers in the country.

One crucial goal was to increase the amount of honey being produced. To do so, 5,000 harvesting buckets were distributed to address a collection challenge. In addition 1,139 modern hives were supplied to beekeepers together with training programmes, resulting in improved honey quality and quantity.

Armed with modern hives that don't require an arduous climb to harvest them, women can now fully participate in bee-keeping activities.

The partnership supported the creation of the Kabule Women's Group, a cooperative of female beekeepers in Kapiri Mposhi, a town north of the capital Lusaka. Kabule received 150 modern hives and went from...