EMASWATI FARMERS’ BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

phephile@times.co.sz

NGINAMADVOLO - Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
This adage seems to have been adopted by Africa Works Swaziland, as they are giving emaSwati farmers business opportunities instead of donations in an endeavor that will surely change their lives.

Deep in the eucalyptus forests of Nginamadvolo near Pigg’s Peak, 22 emaSwati are keeping bees, as a way to generate income. These are part of the Nginamadvolo Honey World Multi-Purpose Cooperative. This is a project being implemented by Africa Works Swaziland in partnership with Bulembu Ministries and funded by the European Union (EU).

These farmers are under one of four farmer groups in the honey value chain. Two of these have formed cooperatives and they have been formally registered.
The number of indirect beneficiaries from the honey value chain can be estimated at 700, since 101 people have ventured into bee keeping. The Treasurer of the cooperative, Zwide Magongo explained that they started out as a10-man team which was interested in keeping bees. He said they decided to include women in the scheme as some of them in the area were unemployed.

“That is when we met Africa Works, and they changed our lives for good,” he said.

 traditional beehives
Magongo said while building their traditional beehives, they met the organisation.

He said they gave them assistance, and they specified that their cooperatives should be made up of 70 per cent women, and 30 per cent men.
He said Africa Works provided them with beehives, trap boxes, fences and uniforms to start their business.

He stated that they also provided them with training, which included lessons on bee keeping and business management. He said they had five apiaries (places where bees are kept), with 220 beehives as each farmer was given 10 Lang troth hives and five trap boxes.
He stated that the biggest thing that they achieved was that the organisation provided them with a market for their honey.
He said they sold their products to Bulembu Ministries, which also provided them with technical expertise.

“Not only do we have more knowledge of the bee-keeping business, we also have a guaranteed market to sell our produce,” he said.

plus or minus E10 000
He said since the project was still new, they managed to make plus or minus E10 000 from their first harvest. He said they were hoping to harvest the honey twice next year, and since they now had the expertise, they would make more money, and be able to sustain their families.

Another beekeeper, Thobile Dlamini  said although they did not make much in their first harvest, Africa Works had really changed her life, and that of her family.
She stated that she now owned a spaza shop, and a chicken braai  business popularly known as chicken dust, which she managed to start with the proceeds from the honey value chain.

Hlobisile Msibi, Vice Chairperson of the scheme said she could now buy whatever she needed without asking for money from her husband.
“I have really been empowered,” she said.
She said they also planned to get into other businesses, so that they could make money all year long. She said they would invest in a garden, and also keep cattle for milk production.

people stealing honey
The members of the scheme said they met a challenge of people stealing their honey in the past year. Magongo said they were assisted by sniffer dogs from the plantation owners to catch the thieves.
He said they now had a strategy in place to deal with the theft of their honey.

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