Whilst the foundation tries to focus its support on the countries where innocent drinks buys its fruit, we've agreed we also want to support countries with real need, but who don't currently produce fruit in large enough quantities to meet their demands.
Our partnership with the Kaloko Trust was a new one for 2007, and falls into this category. They work in the Luansobe Area, a very rural part of the Copperbelt Province of Zambia, where there is almost no government or other support for communities.
We have agreed to fund this project for three years, which will train 150 new beekeepers and build the capacity of the Luansobe Beekeeping Cooperative to support and act on behalf of local beekeepers. By providing both training to individuals and capacity building to local organisations, such as the Co-operative, Kaloko is working with local communities to help improve lives in a sustainable and lasting way.
Kaloko Trust UK was established in 1995 and works to improve the lives of communities in rural Zambia. They do this by working with their local partner organisation Kaloko Trust Zambia, to develop agriculture and income generation through self-help projects and by promoting the environmentally sustainable use of natural resources.
The poor soils, erratic rainfall and lack of access to credit, seeds or fertilisers results in rural families being unable to grow enough food for the year to feed their family. It means food shortages occur for two or three months every year.
Having a means to gain an income, in addition to this subsistence growing, means that there are savings with which to survive these harder spells.
We are hoping to allow for 150 new beekeepers to be trained up over the next three years and build the capacity of the Luansobe Beekeeping Co-operative to support and act on behalf of local beekeepers.
Honey production by trainees and the co-op members is hoped to be at least of 27 tonnes a year and sales via the co-op will generate a minimum income of £10,000. It is hoped that this will enable The Luansobe Beekeeping Co-operative Society to become independently viable and capable of offering full support to its 250+ members.
Objectives
In 2007 there were some more specific goals. These included:
- Training 150 subsistence farmers in beekeeping at a 10-day residential course by Kaloko at its Luansobe Training Centre.
- Providing equipment to each trainee as an interest free loan, to be paid back over a period of 30 months.
- Employing local artisans to make the equipment.
- Visits from volunteer extension staff from the Luansobe Beekeeping Co-operative Society once a month.
- Kaloko training, capacity building workshops and management and technical support for the beekeeping co-op.
- Building a basic office and store room for the co-op.
We'll update you as soon as we have another report on the progress.
The Kaloko Trust's other work
Kaloko Trust operates a Household Food Security Programme, which provides loans of seeds and fertilisers to farmers in the Luansobe area from a revolving fund.
Each farmer is supported by extension and training to improve their knowledge and skills - these are particularly necessary to new farmers who have moved out from the urban areas because of chronic unemployment.
After the harvest the farmers repay the loans and The Trust then uses the repayments to provide further loans and thus expand the circle of people in the community that can be helped. The increase in production allows the family enough food to feed their whole family.
www.kalokotrust.org