POSOF BEEKEEPING TRAININGS PROJECT

Background Information: Posof, is the county of Ardahan which is the less developed province of Turkey and which has a border to Georgia . Ilgar Mountain which separates Posof from Ardahan's other regions engender huge difficulties especially in winter time. When two sides of the mountain are compared, imported disparities are observed in terms of life style, flora and climate. Therefore, the county is evaluated as micro-climate zone because it has major disparities in terms of the territorial climate which rules the neighborhood counties.

Livestock production is the basic source of income of the county which has 12. 729 overall population. In spite of this, beekeeping is also have an imported potential in terms of being the source of income. Because the county is the genetic center of the Caucasian bee race, banned bee entry from outside to the county, and having the most wealthy flora display the importance of Posof in terms of beekeeping sector. Despite the convenient conditions, it is difficult to say that this imported potential is appraised. Because it is an intense knowledge profession, and it requires having technical details and professional accuracy, beekeeping could not become widespread in Posof. There are people in the county who desired to do beekeeping but unable to succeeded it. This displays the fact that the county needs profession training.

After the need ascertained by International Blue Crescent Foundation which has been implementing rural development projects in the region for a long time, a profession training is prepared. The implementation of ‘ Ardahan Province Posof County Beekeeping Training Project' has started by having grant from ‘New Opportunities Grant Program' which is financed by European Community.

Project Summary: This Project is implemented for the people to pursue a career who wants to make beekeeping but have no profession knowledge. In the Project scope , 80 people are given 75 hours beekeeping training during 15 days length. More than 200 candidate beekeeper applied to the training project which is supported by the Turkish Labor Organization and financed by European Community. The Project beneficiaries have been identified by the commission which consists of local public authorities, Beekeeping Station Directorship, Beekeeping Community and by the Project implementing institutions International Blue Crescent Foundation and Posof Cooperative.

The aim of the Project: The aim of the project is to train 75 unemployed in beekeeping who are living in Posof County of Ardahan Province and to restructure their qualities and to give rise to entrepreneurship.

Project Beneficiaries: In scope of the Project, 75 unemployed especially from the vulnerable group (women, disabled, ex convict, adolescents, etc.) who are living in Posof County of Ardahan Province are trained in beekeeping.

Aktivities that are executed: The Project apart from the climate and seasonal conditions that engender mandatory modifications executed as it is planned. In the frame of the Project, the activities that are executed could be summarized as follows:

Preparations

•  After the Project affirmed and the contract signed, the agreement and its attachments reoverviewed, the preparations for implementing the Project are started and weekly work programs are prepared.
•  In order to rise the capacity of the Project partner, Central Agricultural Development Cooperative of Posof County, various activities are executed and division of tasks is made.
•  The Project team attended the meetings of New Opportunities Grant Program which are held in Ankara and Trabzon .
•  Personal who will take a place in the Project are employed.
•  Necessary Tool, equipment and training place for the Project implementation made available.
•  The inception survey applied to trainees in all groups in the first day of the training. 

Explaining the project and its importance to shareholders in the Community: 

•  From the beginning to the end of the Project, every shareholder in Ardahan informed about the Project. In this respect, at first Ardahan Governorship, Ardahan Province Agriculture Directorship, Iskur Ardahan Province Directorship, Posof Administrative District, Posof Mayor, Posof County Agriculture Directorship and Ardahan Beekeepers Community are informed and then the other related institutions and people are informed. After the implementation of the Project, for the necessary situations and in the appropriate platforms necessary information about the Project are given. ( Damal Mayor, The civil service chief inspectors, other NGOs in the region, Institutions which are making donations, Ardahan Mayor, etc.

•  In order to announce the Project to public, news about the project are published in local media, and announced via web page of International Blue Crescent Foundation.

Project Presentation Visits and Pre-registration:
•  Brochures are prepared and hanged up to public areas in order to announce the Project to the target group and related institutions
•  Local Coordinator and Project Assistant, visited Posof County Center and 37 villages which are subordinates of Posof and introduced the Project to the village people and to the village headmen and delivered brochures to the ones who have interest. Either the meetings that have done face to face or the telephone communications made the Project announced to all villages of Posof. Pre registrations are taken in visits . After all, pre registrations of people who came to International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation Posof Office personally are made.

Identification of Beneficiaries

•  A commission came together two times to determine the trainees. To determine the first group trainees, first commission came together at 25 February 2005.

•  Second commission came together to determine the second and third group trainees. To prevent the possible appeals and criticism because of the intensity of applications, the commission came together in the leadership of Posof lieutenant colonel. Also, the commission includes Iskur Province Director, County Agriculture Director, County National Education Director, The president of Beekeepers Commun ity, The president of Posof Cooperative Society, Project Coordinator and a beekeeper.

•  During the identification of beneficiaries, a positive discrimination is taken into account and priorities are given to women, disabled, ex convict and to unemployed. For daily expenses, fare payments are also given to approved applicants who are in training. The candidate beekeepers are given certificates by Ardahan Beekeeping Station Directorship whom also gave the training. The ones that have degree are given bee and beehive as a gift by Posof Administrative District. 

Beekeeping Training

After the identification of beneficiaries, the main activity has been implemented. During the implementation of training, IBC, the leader implementing partner and Posof Cooperative, the local partner have demonstrated a model of healthy task division. According to the task division, IBC has undertaken the operation of the project in the scope of basic principles, followed the constituted accountant and financial system and realized general coordination of the project. On the other hand, Posof Cooperative has undertaken the implementation of daily activities of the project. Although there was a task division between partners, many times both organizations have acted in cooperation. The implementation phase of the training can be summarized as below:

•  Intense collaboration with Ardahan Beekeeping Breeding Station Directorship is formed and training curriculum and training materials are prepared, trainers are found.

•  The openings of the trainings are actualized by the participation of Posof lieutenant colonel and Posof Mayor. In the trainings, overall information about beekeeping is given and to reinforce the theoretical information practical trainings are done in appropriate intervals.

•  The transportation of the trainer team from Ardahan to Posof is made by Province Agriculture Directorship in the first week, Beekeeping Station Directorship in the second week, and by the International Blue Crescent Foundation in the third week. A vehicle and a driver are allocated for transportation.

•  Every first and last week of the trainings, evaluation exams are done. With the participation of Project Coordinator, Beekeeping Breeding Station Director, Field Coordinator and Project Assistant evaluation meetings are made.

After the project accomplished, many trainees started to make beekeeping, the ones that are previously unsuccessful because of the lack of knowledge started to make beekeeping consciously. After then, trainees benefit from similar projects which are implemented by NGOs and Public Institutions and they started to gain income