Putting the buzz into small business

A bee-keeping project, which provides communities with a source of extra income through sales of honey, has proved a success for Marzouk, a young man living in Giza in Egypt.

Marzouk is an ambitious young man from the village of Monshaet Kaseb. He has a technical degree in computer assembly and maintenance, but lacks the resources to further his education and practice his trade.

Like many other villagers in the area who depend on agriculture, Marzouk's family suffers from low household earnings.

As part of a project to increase the disposable household income of families in the area, Plan provides families with access to a credit program. The decision to develop bee-keeping was made by the community.

On a local level, the Community Development Association (CDA) is responsible for the management of the project. It provides participants with tools and equipment, ensures they get basic training, and receives the loan repayments.

Marzouk joined the project in March 2007. Together with other interested community members, he attended workshops on bee-keeping. There he learned the basics of setting up and maintaining the hives and the marketing of the final product.

After the training, Marzouk received a loan, in the form of bees, five bee hives with five frames in each and bee-keeping tools. Marzouk's cousin also joined the project and together they set up their ten bee hives on the rooftops of their adjoining houses.

They inspect the hives once a week, and occasionally receive technical assistance from a specialist from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Because bee-keeping is relatively low maintenance, Marzouk was able to keep his jobs in farming as well as computer maintenance.

"Bee-keeping is a good project, as you are able to double the money invested within a year," says Marzouk. "Although it is relatively easy to maintain, it does require some effort." Fortunately, the area is rich in bee food, with a variety of flowers, fruits (lemons, mandarins), and vegetables (okra).

Honey production starts immediately after the hives are set-up. In the village, an initial low production is expected because the number of bees and frames are minimal. As time passes, the number of bees, frames, and honey produced, will increase. A family with five hives working at full capacity will be able to produce about 100 kilos per year.

The project hasn't been without problems. The area of Monshaet Kaseb is known for its numerous palm trees. These trees are home to wasps that attack the bees and prevent honey production. However, the community has worked together to solve this problem and started producing 'wasp trappers'. This side project, besides showing the community's support for the bee-keepers, will help increase some families' income.

But Marzouk's bees seem pretty happy. Only a few months after the hives were established, the family's first honey production was ready. Thirteen kilos of honey was produced and sold at 30 Egyptian pounds per kilo (approximately £2.50 per kilo). Marzouk predicts that once he's reached the maximum number of frames per hive, each hive will be able to produce 2-3 kilos per production cycle.

To date, 72 families in the area have benefited from the project, and the aim is to eventually help 500 families.

Marzouk has high ambitions. His goal is to succeed in the computer field. With the extra income he makes through bee-keeping, Marzouk is sure he will be able to get there.

"I used my part of the income raised to pay for computer training courses and to buy spare parts for my side business", he says, "believe it or not, a lot of people in Monshaet Kaseb have computers. It's a good business."