FOKP BEEKEEPING AND ECOTOURISM VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS

& BUSINESS PLANS

1

FRIENDS OF KINANGOP PLATEAU

(FOKP)

BEEKEEPING AND ECOTOURISM ----------------------------------------

VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS &

BUSINESS PLANS (2011 – 2013)

CARRIED OUT BY:

MR. ANYONA S. GICHURU

COMMUNITY AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE

(CODIT INSTITUTE) P.O. BOX 41670 – 00100

NAIROBI, KENYA E-MAIL: office@codit.org

ON BEHALF OF:

NATURE KENYA (EANHS)

P.O. BOX 44486 - 00100

NAIROBI, KENYA

E-MAIL: conservation@naturekenya.org

NOVEMBER 2010

FOKP BEEKEEPING AND ECOTOURISM VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS

& BUSINESS PLANS

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Table of Contents:

1. BACKGROUND OF FOKP: ......................................................................................................................... 3

1.1 Background of FoKP: ....................................................................................................................... 3

1.2 Main activities, progress achieved and current status: ...................................................................... 3

1.3 Purpose of Value Chain Analysis and Business Planning: ............................................................... 4

2. BEEKEEPING VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS AND BUSINESS PLAN: .................................................................. 5

2.1 Background of beekeeping in Kinangop: .......................................................................................... 5

2.2 Kinangop Beekeeping Value Chain Analysis: .................................................................................. 8

2.3 The Beekeeping Business Plan: ........................................................................................................ 9

2.3.1 The Beekeeping Business Plan Objectives: ............................................................................... 9

2.3.2 Beekeeping Business Plan Framework: ................................................................................... 13

2.3.3 FOKP Beekeeping Income and Expenditure Targets (2010 – 2012): ...................................... 14

3. ECOTOURISM VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS AND BUSINESS PLAN: ............................................................... 15

3.1 Background of Ecotourism in Kinangop:........................................................................................ 15

3.2 The current status of facilities and ecotourism in general:.............................................................. 15

3.2.1 Current state of facilities and resource: .................................................................................... 15

3.2.2 Current state of ecotourism in the Kinangop Plateau:.............................................................. 15

3.3 What is needed to boost performance of ecotourism? .................................................................... 16

3.4 Marketing and Products Promotion: ............................................................................................... 17

3.5 Targeted Income and Expenditure Estimates per activity:.............................................................. 19

3.6 Requirements for Establishing a Campsite and to Provide Catering Services:............................... 21

4. CURRENT AND PROPOSED MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE OF FOKP:.......................................................... 22

4.1 The Current Management Structure: ............................................................................................... 22

4.1.1 The General Management Structure of FOKP: ........................................................................ 22

4.1.2 Identity, Constitution and Operation of the JMC: .................................................................... 22

4.2 The Proposed Management Structure: ............................................................................................ 22

4.2.1 Proposed Structure of FOKP: ................................................................................................... 23

4.2.2 Profit Sharing and Empowering JMC: ..................................................................................... 23

FOKP BEEKEEPING AND ECOTOURISM VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS

& BUSINESS PLANS

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1. BACKGROUND OF FOKP:

1.1 Background of FoKP:

The Friends of Kinangop Plateau (FoKP) community group was founded in 1997, by a group of

Kinangop residents concerned about their environment. The group sought to conserve biodiversity and

ensure wise use of the environment in the Kinangop plateau and its surroundings especially the area's

unique highland grasslands. The group’s membership has grown tremendously spreading across the

plateau to four sub-branches in Murungaru, Engineeer, Njabini and Magumu/Nyakio.

The Group currently has around 400 members. FOKP Membership is open to all who share the Group's

aims and objectives. FOKP has a spinning and weaving workshop at Njabini in South Kinangop, a

honey refinery at Engineer Township in North Kinangop, a Resource Centre at Murungaru, a new

campsite and community bandas which are still under construction. Kinangop is an Important Bird Area

(IBA) and 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' is a Site Support Group of Nature Kenya.

FoKP was established with the following objectives:

i. To create awareness on the importance of conserving and protecting the environment;

ii. To establish a network of young conservationists to protect Kinangop highland grassland's

biodiversity;

iii. To promote grassland-friendly and environmentally sustainable income generating activities;

iv. To developing the Kinangop Plateau's potential for eco-tourism;

v. To carry out conservation education for schools, environmental clubs and the community at

large;

vi. To promoting bird-watching as a hobby; and

vii. To creating links and partnerships with other institutions doing similar work.

1.2 Main activities, progress achieved and current status:

Main Activities:

The main activities of FoKP include grasslands and species conservation, wool spinning, environmental

education, eco-tourism, kitchen gardening, survey and monitoring of grasslands and grassland birds, bird

walks, beekeeping; and cultural dances. Membership is open to all who are interested in grassland

conservation and the benefits include use of FoKP’s group's library resource materials, participation in

conservation work, group outings to conservation areas including camping, guided bird and nature walks

and access to environmental and conservation education. As mentioned earlier, FOKP has four main

income generating activities (IGAs) which comprise:

i. Beekeeping; ii. Ecotourism;

iii. Wool spinning and iv. Bird watching.

These activities are carried out in the four areas of focus which comprise Murungaru, Njabini,

Magumu/Nyakio and Engineer although each of these is a headquarter to one of the IGAs. Murungaru

serves as the head quarters of the FoKP group and doubles up as the headquarters for ecotourism,

Njabini is the headquarters of wool spinning and weaving while Engineer is the headquarter of

beekeeping. In setting up these enterprises FoKP had two main objectives:

i. To conserve the environment with specific emphasis on the Sharpe’s long-claw and

conservation of the Kinangop tussock grasslands which form the natural habitat for the bird; and

ii. To provide alternative environmentally friendly sources of income for community member’s to

discourage them from carrying out activities that would interfere with the environment

FOKP BEEKEEPING AND ECOTOURISM VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS

& BUSINESS PLANS

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Progress Achieved and Current Status:

The IGAs have been operating since inception of the group but none has managed to bring sustainable

returns in form of income and profits to participating members although the conservation agenda is

slowly being realized. All the IGAs are operating below capacity and possibly making losses primarily

because they are not bringing income to the members.

IGA: Progress to date: Current Status:

Ecotourism 2 bird hides purchased, accommodation bandas

constructed, ecotourism based business products

(bird watching and guiding, cultural dances, camping

sites developed

No visitors patronizing the

bandas, low ecotourism

business and few

performances by the

organized groups

Beekeeping Over 270 hives distributed to community members in

the 4 branches and a honey refinery and processing

centre established at Engineer complete with

centrifuge and other equipment. The enterprise is

affected by low hive colonization rates, high

absconding rates and low production quantities.

Almost non functional

operating at below 15% of

its installed capacity.

Wool spinning Wool spinning and weaving machines purchased,

members trained but production is low and is affected

by lack of adequate capital to purchase essential

inputs such as wool, dyes

Production is low and

uneconomical; profitability

is uncertain (but is

generating income for

participating members.

Conservation Not income /profit oriented

1.3 Purpose of Value Chain Analysis and Business Planning:

As indicated above all FOKP IGAs are performing below their stipulated capacity. By so doing, they fail

to meet one of the core objectives that led to their establishment which is income generation to members

and to the group in general despite having many productive resources. To address this, the group in

collaboration with Nature Kenya considered it necessary to develop a business plan for FoKP and

associated groups.

The Value Chain Analysis (VCA) for both beekeeping and ecotourism were carried out to help identify,

analyze and to help FoKP members to understand their enterprises from a holistic point of view as well

as identify specific challenges that affect them at different hierarchies of the chains. It was also used to

identify and analyze various markets to look for ways of penetrating them as a means to expand the

IGAs options and outreach all towards increasing incomes and profits.