Florida Queen-Rearer Generates Positive Results in Leon, Nicaragua

By -
Khara Matcham of Melbourne, FL, is back in the U.S. after a 3-week visit to Leon Nicaragua, 2 hours northwest of Managua. Ms. Matcham is the Owner of a queen-producing apiary - Sorority House Queens, Inc. - in Melbourne, as well as a Beekeeper at Sunshine Apiary, Inc. in Windsor, ME.

Volunteer, Khara Matcham, in front of the Farmer to Farmer
Field Office in Managua.
Just the 4th beekeeper to work with our Nicaragua Country Program, Ms. Matcham's assignment focused on queen rearing. Volunteers typically meet with a few different host organizations while in-country, however due to the strict, attention-demanding nature of queen rearing, the full 3 weeks were spent with La Leonesa, an organic beekeeping cooperative in Leon composed largely of young men with less than 5 years of beekeeping experience.

With translation support from the daugther of Leonesa's director, Ms. Matcham provided training to 9 of Leonesa's members. One day was spent in a classroom-like setting, during which Ms. Matcham shared her own queen rearing methods with the group. The other days were spent out in the field examining hives, setting up breeders and grafting to produce viable queen cells.

Ms. Matcham's visit with La Leonesa had several positive outcomes. After 4 rounds of grafting, the group produced viable queen cells that can be used in the upcoming weeks. And Ms. Matcham - never having worked with Africanized bees previously - learned that they can be pretty mellow if handled properly and dismissed the "killer bee" image that she previously held.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Better Marketing and Communications to Showcase the Work of our Hosts in Colombia

By -
Image
Salva Terra Foundation has focused on supporting vulnerable communities through sustainable agriculture. They work with impoverished populations and victims of violence in Medellin and aim to promote farming and develop local skills to work in the agricultural industry in an ecological manner. This process of bringing together concepts such as social impact, sustainable development, environmental protection, and food security requires excellent outreach and promotion. Therefore, they requested a F2F volunteer to help them develop a communication and marketing plan. The chosen volunteer for this assignment was Dr. Sindy Chapa. She has a B.A. in Mass Media Communications, with a Minor in Television and Art Design, an MBA, and Ph.D. in International Business/Marketing. She is the Director and Associate Professor at the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University and has won several communications awards. Dr. Chapa decided to use Salva Terra as one of the case ...
Read more

Digital Marketing in Colombia

By -
Image
Digital Marketing is one way that entrepreneurs and producers across the globe can reach new markets and increase sales. But what is digital marketing and how can a small Colombian business use it to maximize the number of people who come across its brand? These are the questions that Zen Naturals was asking itself. Zen Naturals is a natural cosmetic manufacturing company based in Cali, Colombia. Zen Naturals develops natural cosmetics made from exotic ingredients from Colombia’s outstanding biodiversity. Through ethical manufacturing and fair trade practices, they are also taking a leadership role in re-investing in the communities that grow the ingredients used in their products. Currently, Zen Naturals supports more than 95 Colombian quinoa farming communities through Fair-Trade Practices and technical assistance on their production. Zen Naturals is preparing to launch their quinoa facial care products in Whole Foods Markets in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. in 2017....
Read more

Supporting Anti-Child Labor Projects in Ecuador and Panama

By -
Image
EducaFuturo is a program currently being implemented by Partners of the Americas in Ecuador and Panama. Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), EducaFuturo seeks to combat child labor in both countries through educational programs, vocational training, and livelihood services. F2F has partnered with EducaFuturo on numerous occasions over the past 5 years, sending 7 volunteers to support their efforts in improving the educational outcomes of youth involved in child labor, while also increasing the income opportunities of households to reduce reliance on child labor. Volunteers have provided training on a range of topics, including sustainable production practices, processing, business management, and marketing. In January 2016, F2F volunteer Carmen Pacheco-Borden traveled to Panama to work with native Ngabe-Bugle women’s groups in the tomato farming communities of Hato Chami and Boca de Monte to make value-added products from their harvests and consequently increase their hous...
Read more