Three days, 13 women and over 100 beehives to build. At Farm Africa, we call that a challenge!
In 2015, nine women business leaders from the UK food industry travelled to Tanzania to take part in Farm Africa’s Big Beehive Build and improve the lives of women farmers in the Nou Forest.
After the success of the 2015 Beehive Build, this October Farm Africa trustee and Director of Brand at Sainsbury’s, Judith Batchelar, will lead another team of intrepid women back to Tanzania to continue this project.
Working alongside the Bermi community in Tanzania, our team of 13 women will spend three days building over 100 beehives to help kick-start sustainable businesses.
“It's a wonderful opportunity for one group of women to help another. I'm really looking forward to the challenge and hope I can do it justice” says first-time builder Frances Swallow from Finsbury Food Group.
Why?
Thousands of people living in Tanzania’s Nou Forest rely on the forests around them for survival. However, the forest is at risk due trees being cut down for timber and the clearing of land for the grazing of animals.
Farm Africa is helping local communities to set up forest-friendly businesses that not only enable them to earn an income, but also protect the trees.
What’s the buzz about bees?
Our solution – bees! Beekeeping is a sustainable and economically viable alternative to livelihoods such as cropland conversion and timber harvesting.
The Big Beehive Build will help, Bermi women grow their own honey farming businesses and sustain their own livelihoods.
Beekeeping has excellent potential; it is relatively inexpensive to keep bees and, because of its high demand, honey can make money!
“As a woman, now I can contribute to the family’s income and reduce dependence on my husband for fulfilling family needs,” says Joyce Lali, a beekeeper who benefited from beehives built by our Big Beehive Build 2015.
Not only does beekeeping empower women, but it also protects their environment.
Bees are vital to biodiversity – by looking after bees, we look after the environment. Promoting beekeeping in Tanzania will benefit all kinds of animals, plants and people.
Get involved
To find out how you can support this year’s beehive builders by being a ‘Queen Bee’ or ‘Worker Bee’ sponsor, get in touch with Danny Everett on 020 7067 1256. You can also donate directly to the team’s fundraising page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bbb17
The Big Beehive Build is just one of many challenges that fall under our Food for Good fundraising campaign. Founded in 2011, the Food for Good campaign unites the global food and hospitality industry behind Farm Africa’s vision of a prosperous rural Africa. Everything raised through Food for Good supports Farm Africa’s innovative projects in eastern Africa, helping farmers to grow more, sell more and sell more for more.
To find out how you can get involved with Food for Good as well as our other campaigns, head to our website: www.farmafrica.org/get-involved/get-involved
