Does BfD provide hives or equipment?

The never-ending need for donor help to provide equipment has strengthened our belief that information is valuable and powerful. We believe equipment can either be:

(1) Made by the beekeepers themselves, using simple materials and methods

(2) Bought by the beekeepers themselves, either with money earned from honey sales or other sources

(3) Bought by beekeepers who are assisted by micro-finance schemes.

Provision of equipment by donor projects sometimes has the effect of creating dependency or artificially forces up local prices of inputs as donors are doing the buying and not the end users.

Generally it has been found that the distribution of hives does not automatically lead to an increase in honey production. There are many reasons for this of course and usually concern issues to do with ownership, expertise, efficiency of marketing chains and different approaches to bee colony management.

Often beekeepers are not constrained by a shortage of hives but a shortage of market connections. In our opinion addressing marketing issues can boost honey production and trade more effectively than equipment distribution.

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