Apiculture is promoted as an important sustainable income diversification enterprise that complements crop and livestock farming in Rwanda. Rwanda is among the largest producers of honey in Africa and yet its production remains limited primarily due to limited information, resources, and practices.

The Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), Department of Animal Resources Innovation and Technology Transfer has established a national beekeeping program with the aim of promoting sustainable beekeeping practices to smallholder farmers. Building on a January 2023 pilot study that assessed information networks for beekeepers in eastern Rwanda, and a recent value chain assessment that further suggests that beekeeping practices and adoption of modern technologies are slowed by limited access to knowledge, this year’s project team needs to collect information that empirically informs the development of farmer field schools and resources.

The SMART Challenge:

Design and conduct a multidisciplinary empirical study that will assist RAB in establishing: (I) a Rwanda beekeeping model, (2) a pilot apiculture farmer field school (FFS) that can be scaled nationally. To achieve this, the team will need to:

1. Survey and model information networks of beekeepers in south Rwanda, to identify prominent farmers who could be trained as FFS community facilitators.
2. Identify and evaluate existing beekeeping training materials currently distributed and promoted by various stakeholders.
3. Develop a Rwanda beekeeping model (beekeeping vs bee hunting) – how is beekeeping practiced (how does it compare to other East African countries)

Desired Team Skills

• Strong interest in Agricultural Development, International Development, Applied Economics and Management, Marketing, Arts, and Communication.
• Knowledge in social network analysis and mapping software
• Knowledge of French will be advantageous.
• Strong writing and communication skills
• Strong time management abilities
• Team player – cultural humility, resilient, flexible.

Project Lead and Faculty Advisors

Fridah Mubichi-Kut | Professor of Practice, Applied Economics and Policy, Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management

        Field dates: Jan 7-16, 2024 
        Field location: Kigali, Huye, Rwanda