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Project Profile

Beekeeping & Small-Scale Farming

The Beekeeping and Smale-scale Farming project improves food security and economic income for rural Bolivians by teaching participants new skills and providing supplies to grow orchards, raise small animals, and produce honey for consumption and marketing. Support this project through financial contributions and prayer.   

Cause:

Location

Field Staff:

Local Partner:

Bolivian Baptist Union (UBB)
OBADES

The Situation

The rural poor in Bolivia face many challenges. Common to the area is Chagas disease, which CBM continues to fight through providing home renovations and prevention education. Another issue many Bolivians face is food and economic insecurity. Once their homes are renovated to prevent Chagas, beneficiaries can enter a program to improve their health and economic situation. Participants attend training workshops where they learn how to care for small animals, plant and cultivate vegetable gardens, and learn to maintain apiaries. The honey that is then produced is sold and the profits are reinvested into the purchase of new hives to provide more families with a growing source of income.

The Beekeeping and Smale-scale Farming project improves food security and economic income for rural Bolivians by teaching participants new skills and providing supplies to grow orchards, raise small animals, and produce honey for consumption and marketing. Support this project through financial contributions and prayer.   

The Situation

The rural poor in Bolivia face many challenges. Common to the area is Chagas disease, which CBM continues to fight through providing home renovations and prevention education. Another issue many Bolivians face is food and economic insecurity. Once their homes are renovated to prevent Chagas, beneficiaries can enter a program to improve their health and economic situation. Participants attend training workshops where they learn how to care for small animals, plant and cultivate vegetable gardens, and learn to maintain apiaries. The honey that is then produced is sold and the profits are reinvested into the purchase of new hives to provide more families with a growing source of income.

How We Are Helping

Training Workshops

Training workshops are provided to teach participants how to care for apiaries and produce honey. Attendees also learn how to build animal pens, and how to prepare soil for planting, harvesting and food preparation.

Strengthen Food Security

Participants will gain food security through raising animals, cultivating gardens, and producing honey.

Economic Income

Families diversify their economic income through the production and sale of honey.

Photo of beekeepers
Photo of beekeepers

The Impact of Our Work

Adriana, her husband Miguel, and their four children live in a small home in the Mizque province of Bolivia. Adriana and Miguel work as farmers producing corn, potatoes and oregano. In 2016, they renovated their home with the support of the Chagas project. The family was also taught about Chagas disease and learned how to prevent it. In 2020, Adriana was invited to participate in the honey production project. She was trained in beekeeping and received a complete hive along with safety equipment. “I am very excited to work,” said Adriana. “The work with bees is very interesting and being able to sell the honey is helping me with the costs of having a newborn son. I want to increase the number of bees I have and produce more honey so that I can help more people in my community.”

“Thank you for helping families in need, I am very grateful for this project. I can see that my life is improving. I am more motivated to work for my family. I want to produce more honey and plant more papaya.”

Felix

“The families that participated in home renovations have obtained better living conditions and are protecting themselves from the vinchuca bug that can transmit Chagas disease. With the production of honey, they can diversify their economy, which is a great help for them. As this project continues, we want to keep helping families access proper health and food safety, and the production of honey contributes to their food security.”