Organization: Agronomes & Veterinaires Sans Frontieres (AVSF Zambia)            

Duration of the consultancy: 30 days spread between April/May and August/September

Expected Starting Date: 9th of April 2025

Project Goals and Background

Agronomes & Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (AVSF) is a French NGO implementing a project entitled ‘Bush 2 Business (B2B) project in Zambia’s Mpika and Lavushimanda districts. This project, which is being funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) through it’s FEXTE fund, has the following objectives:

1. Community development and green jobs/income are created, particularly for women and youth, through better market access and value addition at community level;

2. A sustainable private sector related to biodiversity and forest-based non-timber products is promoted and supported along value-chains (SMEs of producers, off-takers and French companies); and

3. Investments in biodiversity and forest conservation contribute to the integrated landscape management and resilience towards climate changes.

The project area includes four communities in Chief Mpumba’s area, and four communities in Chief Mukungule’s area and is supporting honey value chains. The Project aims to empower a community’s role in both primary production and in potential value addition. However, value addition efforts are yet to be maximised due to low harvests from beehives among targeted communities.

Against this background, AVSF Zambia is inviting applications for a consultancy to provide training with the aim of increasing beekeepers’ capacities for increased harvests per hive.

Objectives

The consultancy will aim to design and deliver trainings of trainers focused on techniques to increase honey harvests per beehive among targeted beekeepers in the Project.

Scope of Work

These trainings will be focused specifically on the Muchinga project area, targeting the districts of Lavushimanda and Mpika. It will involve Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) such as Community Forest Management Groups (CFMGs), cooperatives, and conservancies.

Trainees will include the project’s field technicians from the AVSF team, government technical staff from the district Forestry Department and technical staff from other partner organisations in the landscape.

The consultancy will be based in the Mpika district, the project office, with some days spent in the Lavushimanda district of Muchinga Province. The key activities include:

1. Rapid assessment of low honey harvest

A rapid assessment will be conducted in eight Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) located in Mpika and Lavushimanda districts. This assessment aims to identify key constraints, at community level, to implement modern beekeeping practices. Based on the findings, tailored recommendations will be developed to promote practices that enhance honey production and overall colony health. This will include a quick desktop study on existing materials from other partners who have been working in the landscape including WeForest, Frankfurt Zoological Society and TRALARD Project and others, in order to identify the gaps in modern beekeeping practices implementation. Where necessary, the consultant may conduct a brief visit to sample beekeepers in the field.

2. Development of a Training Manual

Using the recommendations derived from the assessment, a detailed training manual will be developed specifically for beekeeping in the target communities. The manual will also cover essential topics including:

• Colony division and multiplication protocols, such as artificial swarming (colony splitting), queen bee rearing and nucleus colony production methods.
• Criteria for evaluating colony strength and readiness for division, including:
• Minimum number of frames covered with bees
• Brood pattern quality and distribution of brood stages
• Food reserves assessment
• Queen performance indicators
• Seasonal calendar outlining optimal timing for colony division aligned with peak brood expansion and nectar flow periods.
• Swarm prevention and control strategies.
• Sustainable honey harvesting techniques designed to minimize colony stress, including hive manipulation, assessment of honey quantity, and ensuring surplus honey availability for the colony.
• A practical tool for continuous guidance and follow-up support to the communities

3. Training of Trainers (ToT)

A Training of Trainers program based on the recommendations from the assessments will be conducted, targeting project field staff, government personnel, and staff from partner organizations. Target beneficiaries of these trainings will include beekeepers and bee mentors. This ToT will include:

• Theoretical and practical sessions for 10 to 15 trainers in colony division and multiplication protocols, such as artificial swarming (colony splitting) and nucleus colony production methods;
• At least two demonstration trainings delivered alongside the trainers, with one session held in Lavushimanda and another in Mpika for beekeepers and bee mentors; and
• Emphasis on hands-on learning to ensure trainers are fully equipped to cascade knowledge effectively.

4. Post-training assessment and follow-up

Following the training sessions, a post-training assessment will be conducted during the harvest periods in sampled communities. This evaluation will measure the impact of the training on honey harvests and colony management practices. Based on the assessment outcomes, further recommendations will be made to refine practices and support sustained improvements in beekeeping productivity.

Budget

The project will supply all necessary equipment (excluding the expert’s beekeeping personal protective equipment) and office materials required for the training. The expert must coordinate with AVSF Zambia beforehand to ensure the timely availability of the needed equipment. Transportation within the Lavushimanda and Mpika districts for visiting beekeeping sites and training one community group will be arranged by the project. The expert is responsible for bringing their own beekeeping personal protective gear and covering travel expenses to and from the project office in Mpika district.

Qualifications

Interested individuals or groups must possess the following:

1.     Demonstrated practical experience in modern beekeeping.

2.     Experience in developing beekeeping manuals for community-based organizations (CBOs) in the Miombo ecosystem.

3.     Proven expertise in colony multiplication, division, and nucleus colony production.

4.     Relevant academic qualifications in fields such as forestry or natural resources.

5.     strong report writing skills.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit their CV and/or profiles and a three paged technical and financial proposal to the following email addresses: Email with title ‘Proposal- AVSF Zambia Bush2Business Beekeeping Consultancy’ to c.bwalya@avsf.org and copy to k.mukoma@avsf.org and ophelie.robineau@expertisefrance.fr .

Deadline for applications: 1st April 2026