Business Trainings (29/10/18 and 4/11/18)

The first step in this process was to hold a training in both villages on how to form a business plan. The groups were introduced to concepts such as "S.M.A.R.T. Goals" (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-based) and "S.W.O.T. Analysis" (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). These trainings were led by agriculture volunteer Casey Welsh, who has a degree in Finance. Agriculture volunteer Katie Lloyd assisted. Once these tools were explained, the groups were given a handout where they then outlined their short and long term goals (using the S.M.A.R.T. model) and assigned themselves positions within the group (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, etc.) to allow for accountability. In addition, we gathered information on the background of each farmer in apiculture (if any) and acquired pricing information about the honey currently available in village. All of this will help us to write out our grant proposal, and guide the project into the future. The farmers were very engaged, and interested in how they could make their project a success with these new tools.

PCV Casey explains the Business Plan handout

Bienvenue, Djabamma, Welcome!

Welcome to the blog of the Adamawa Beekeepers! This blog is run by two Peace Corps volunteers posted in neighboring villages in the Adamawa region of Cameroon. Here we keep a record of our trainings and activities on a project to promote sustainable beekeeping practices. Traditional apiculture in the Adamawa utilizes fire during harvest and is invasive and harmful to the bees. These methods result in a dark, smoky honey. The aim of this project is to encourage the use of the Kenyan Top Bar hive and less invasive harvesting techniques, which is less disruptive to the bees and will improve the quality of honey. Groups in the villages will attend trainings and then set up their own apiaries, eventually harvesting and selling the honey at local markets. It is the long term goal of this project for these groups to act as trainers in their communities and to spread the knowledge of the improved apiculture techniques.