Eden Roots

Community development and empowerment through beekeeping
2021 SEED Low Carbon Awards; IKI BMU
Biodiversity
Mahikeng
South Africa

Eden Roots’ keeps bees that produce honey and other by-products that are high in demand. Their production is village based, but they manufacture high-end products targeting customers mostly from big cities. The products are sold via social media, and will soon be for sale through an online store.

The enterprise plans to produce their own beehives to participate significantly in bee pollination services and potentially sell some to newly and existing bee farmers willing to expand.

Eco-inclusive Impacts
Eden Roots trains women and girls on beekeeping skills and leaves them in charge of the beehive inspection. Their activities benefit the local plant species and reduce greenhouse emissions through pollination.
  • Training women and girls with beekeeping skills and leaving them in charge of the beehive inspection
  • Offering support and link to counselling in cases of domestic violence
  • Promoting pollination of rare plant species via bees
  • Improving local plant species and recovering grazing land for domestic and wild animals
  • Offsetting problems of urbanisation by offering women and girls alternative livelihoods in rural areas
  • Providing income increase that improve local living conditions

Partners

Eden Roots sells raw honey and manufactures beeswax candles from honey by-products, as well as ointments, hair products, furniture polish, oils and body butters. Their biodiversity friendly apiaries are set up in rural areas where they engage women and girls to monitor the hives and teach them about beekeeping.

North-West University assists with research. Through their assistance Eden Roots publishes well researched articles and gets research insights into quality beehives and honey quality.

SEDA (Small Enterprise Development Agency) provides them with development and market linkages, such as the municipality in charge of the rural communities or the department of trade and industry.