ABOUT US

Based on a participatory design and user-research process with women beekeepers in Uzbekistan and Ethiopia, AID-CSB will localize a beekeeping companion app and make it available to beekeepers. Incorporating traditional and local beekeeping knowledge and weather data, the app will be driven by data collected by beekeepers to support women, their decision-making for hive management, and provide a low-entry barrier economic activity. The women beekeepers will use the app to monitor and manage their hives by entering data on hive inspections and receiving helpful notifications on when to inspect the hive, weather, pests, diseases, and more.

Period of Implementation

Mar 1, 2021 - Dec 15, 2021
Total Budget

USD 225,689.91

OUR IMPACT

Goals

To support biodiversity and enable improved hive management among women by leveraging traditional knowledge and technical assistance to become more productive beekeepers, using a gender-sensitive, participatory, and inclusive app development process.

Objectives

The project will measure successful technology adoption and usage by looking at how and to what extent the beekeeping companion app is used by the lead beekeepers each week, i.e., the frequency and quality of data collection, and the frequency and type of interaction with the app to request guidance in case of diseases or anomalies.

Impacts on beekeeping proficiency and livelihood effects will also be measured by looking at the number, frequency, and quality of hive inspections using the app, and the total harvested honey. These figures will be compared to the regional average at the end of each harvest.

UPDATES

In 2021, ICARDA’s Monitoring and Evaluation team, along with the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute and the beekeeping data company HiveTracks, supported the economic activities of Lebanese beekeepers through the development of a groundbreaking hive management app aimed specifically at developing the capacity of women beekeepers. The app allows beekeeping experts and extension workers, many of whom do not have easy access to training and peer-beekeepers, to remotely manage beekeeping practices and improve bee health. ICARDA is now working with the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, the Holeta Bee Research Centre and HiveTracks to pilot the app in Ethiopia and Uzbekistan.

In 2022, ICARDA’s knowledge management activities included working with 39 beekeepers (majority women) to localize a hive management app for Uzbekistan and Ethiopia through the AI-Driven Climate Smart Beekeeping for Women project. The project received new funding in 2022 to build on this work to increase app adoption, use, and digital literacy.

Problems and Needs Analysis

The current unrest in Ethiopia present a potential risk for the project, However, the Oromia Region and proposed project area in Ethiopia, where the Holeta Bee Research Center is located has – so far - not been adversely affected by the ongoing conflict in the Tigray region. A key risk that any use of technology faces is when user adoption is not as high as needed to achieve the project's aim. To mitigate this risk, we will allow the users to test the app's prototype and collect and incorporate beekeepers' feedback on the technology's usability before the app is finalized and the field component is initiated. This period is critical to allow the beekeepers to familiarize themselves with the app and the technology extensively. A second risk factor is the lack of internet or connectivity in the project area. For this purpose, the app is laid out to work offline. At a later point, when an internet connection is recovered, the documented hive event will be uploaded.

Intervention Strategy(ies)

The app tracks and manages beekeeping tasks according to set goals such as increasing bee health or learning new beekeeping practices. The app then pools and processes local knowledge from regional beekeepers to deliver advice back to beekeepers, tailored to their individual hives, flora, and climate. This creates the opportunity to enable micro-entrepreneurship and directly improve women’s livelihoods through (1) digital literacy, beekeeping training and performance of hive inspections with a smartphone app’s assistance, (2) increased honey production, and (3) digital traceability of honey and proof of commercial activity to alleviate poverty through COVID-19 resilient income, non-dependent upon land and resource ownership.

Impact Pathway

In 2021, ICARDA’s Monitoring and Evaluation team, along with the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute and the beekeeping data company HiveTracks, supported the economic activities of Lebanese beekeepers through the development of a groundbreaking hive management app aimed specifically at developing the capacity of women beekeepers. The app allows beekeeping experts and extension workers, many of whom do not have easy access to training and peer-beekeepers, to remotely manage beekeeping practices and improve bee health. ICARDA is now working with the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, the Holeta Bee Research Centre and HiveTracks to pilot the app in Ethiopia and Uzbekistan. In 2022, ICARDA’s knowledge management activities included working with 39 beekeepers (majority women) to localize a hive management app for Uzbekistan and Ethiopia through the AI-Driven Climate Smart Beekeeping for Women project. The project received new funding in 2022 to build on this work to increase app adoption, use, and digital literacy.

RESOURCES

AI-Driven Climate Smart Beekeeping for Women (AID-CSB) Project Brief in Russian

Author(s): Max Rünzel | Sarah Denton | Laura Becker

Date: 2021-04-01 | Type: Brief

AI-Driven Climate Smart Beekeeping for Women (AID-CSB) Project Brief in Uzbek

Author(s): Max Rünzel | Sarah Denton | Laura Becker

Date: 2021-04-01 | Type: Brief

AI-Driven Climate Smart Beekeeping for Women (AID-CSB) Project Brief

Author(s): Max Rünzel | Sarah Denton | Laura Becker

Date: 2021-04-01 | Type: Brief

How a new beekeeping tech project is addressing gender inclusivity

Author(s): Laura Becker

Date: 2021-03-10 | Type: Blog