Tag Archives: Honeybees

Diversified Farming Grows Income and Nutrition

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Osvaldo Clavo transformed his family’s farm from a single-crop coffee farm to one teeming with biodiversity with gifts of livestock and training from Heifer International Peru.

You can support more farmers in Peru with a donation to Heifer.

In Cajarmarca, Peru, where Osvaldo and his family live, relying on one crop for income is a common and risky way of life. In the case of coffee, insects and coffee rust can quickly ruin crops. After receiving training from Heifer International, Osvaldo began raising guinea pigs, honeybees and a garden. With diversified farming, he achieved year-round food security, created multiple sources of income and provided additional nutrition for his family.

Diversified Farming - Peru

Anastacio Manayay Calderón, 23, and his wife Nicolasa Reyes Vilcabana, 23, participate in a tree planting project in the Village of Cueva Blanca, Peru. Anastacio said “We used to grow our plants with chemical fertilizers, but we couldn’t keep them for very long because they would rot. Now with organic fertilizer the vegetables last longer and taste better.” Photo by Jake Lyell, courtesy of Heifer International

If you are inspired by this story and video, please donate to our Heifer Peru project so we can help more stories like this become reality.

Bees: A Sweet, Sustainable Gift

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Photo courtesy of Heifer International

Like many of the gifts available in the Heifer catalog, bees offer several advantages to the beneficiary, to the environment, and to neighboring farmers. Best of all, they are very sustainable. All in all, they exemplify Heifer’s mission of fighting hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth.

One of Heifer’s most important elements is that we believe development must be sustainable−that projects should be long-term investments in the future of people and the planet. Not only do bees supply honey for consumption and added income for participants, they pollinate a wide area around their hives, improving the environment. The cultivation of honey-yielding plants increases biodiversity and improves the quality of bee products. This is an enterprise that can sustain itself.

bees

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

As bees search for nectar, they pollinate plants. Placed strategically, beehives can as much as double some fruit and vegetable production. Although most Heifer partners keep bees as a supplement to family income, beekeeping can be a family’s livelihood. Your gift can help Heifer provide a family with a package of bees, the box and hive plus training in beekeeping−and of course this unique gift will be passed on to another family in need.

Much has been in the news about the danger of bees becoming extinct. If this were to happen, the agriculture systems we need to produce food to feed the world would be seriously compromised. Heifer projects work hard to prevent this in regions around the world, such as this one: Honey–Yielding Plants for Bee Breeders in the Carpathian Region of Poland.

Donate bees in someone’s honor today. You will be helping a family lift themselves out of poverty and caring for the Earth at the same time. What a sweet, sustainable gift.

bees

Rafael Morales of Honduras can’t resist the taste of honey! Photo courtesy of Heifer International

This post is part of our What to Give series, where we’re helping you choose the best Heifer gift for your loved ones. Read previous What to Give posts here, and subscribe to the What to Give series here.

Still don’t know what to give? Check out our entire online Gift Catalog.

Giving Tuesday in One Week

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Only one week left to prepare for Giving Tuesday! Are you ready? Need a little inspiration? Check out this special Heifergraphic.

Giving Tuesday Infographic

Heifer International has been a trailblazer in the alternative gift giving market. Our model is simple, yet it has a profound impact on the millions of families we serve each year. This resonates with shoppers and gift recipients alike. We are excited to participate in the inaugural Giving Tuesday, and I hope you will participate.

Get your family and friends in on the Giving Tuesday action, too. Tell them about your plans while you’re gathered together this week.

Participate in Giving Tuesday

Does is surprise you that 79 percent of Americans polled would rather have a donation made in their name rather than a gift they know they’ll never use? Tell us in the comments section.

Use Our Black Friday Savings Calculator to Turn Your Savings into Heifer Gifts