Beekeeping & Honey Enterprise Officer

4 hours ago

Villages in Partnership (VIP) · Zomba, Malawi

Posted October 10, 2026Listing expires October 16, 2026

Position Summary

Villages in Partnership (VIP) is seeking a skilled and experienced Beekeeping & Honey Enterprise Officer to develop and strengthen a sustainable beekeeping program among the farmers and communities with whom VIP works in rural Zomba District, Malawi.

The successful candidate will bring hands-on experience with both top-bar and Langstroth hives, including practical experience in hive management, colony care, honey harvesting, and particularly extracting and processing honey from Langstroth hives.

This position is not simply about keeping bees. The Beekeeping & Honey Enterprise Officer will help VIP develop beekeeping as a practical livelihood opportunity for rural farmers, generating income while contributing to food security, environmental stewardship, pollination, and healthy ecosystems.

The officer will work directly with farmers in VIP villages, demonstrating best practices, establishing demonstration apiaries, training farmer groups, helping farmers select and manage appropriate hive systems, and developing the systems necessary to produce, harvest, extract, package, and market high-quality honey.

The position will also help farmers understand that successful beekeeping begins with a healthy environment. The officer will promote the identification, planting, and protection of trees, flowers, and other plants that provide nectar and pollen throughout the year.

Key Responsibilities

1. Develop VIP’s Beekeeping Program

  • Help VIP develop a practical, scalable beekeeping program for farmers in the communities where VIP works.
  • Assess existing beekeeping practices and identify opportunities to improve productivity and income.
  • Develop a phased approach for introducing and expanding beekeeping among interested farmers and farmer groups.
  • Establish demonstration apiaries where farmers can observe successful beekeeping practices.
  • Help VIP determine the appropriate balance and use of top-bar and Langstroth hives within the program.
  • Develop practical training materials and protocols that farmers can understand and apply.
  • Help establish standards for hive management, honey production, harvesting, processing, and marketing.
  • Work closely with VIP’s agricultural and livelihood teams to integrate beekeeping into broader farming systems.

2. Technical Beekeeping

  • Provide hands-on technical guidance and training in:
    • Top-bar hive management
    • Langstroth hive management
    • Colony establishment and management
    • Queen and brood management
    • Swarm management
    • Pest and disease identification and control
    • Apiary placement and management
    • Seasonal hive management
    • Feeding and colony support when appropriate
    • Safe and hygienic honey harvesting
    • Hive maintenance and repair

The officer will:

  • Train farmers to recognize healthy colonies and understand bee behavior.
  • Teach farmers to recognize when colonies and honey are ready for harvest.
  • Demonstrate appropriate harvesting techniques that protect the colony and maintain honey quality.
  • Help farmers avoid practices that unnecessarily damage colonies or reduce future production.

3. Honey Extraction and Processing

A particularly important responsibility of this position will be developing VIP’s capacity to extract, process, and prepare honey from Langstroth hives.

The officer will:

  • Demonstrate and train farmers in Langstroth honey harvesting.
  • Operate and teach others to use appropriate honey extraction equipment.
  • Establish hygienic methods for:
    • Uncapping
    • Honey extraction
    • Filtering Settling
    • Moisture management
    • Storage
    • Packaging
  • Develop practical procedures for maintaining honey quality from hive to finished product.
  • Help determine appropriate equipment and infrastructure for village-level and/or centralized honey processing.
  • Train farmers and staff in sanitation, food safety, quality control, and proper storage.
  • Explore opportunities to process and utilize beeswax and other hive products.
  • Help VIP develop appropriate systems for collecting honey from multiple farmer groups for centralized processing and marketing.

4. Farmer Training and Mentorship

The officer will work directly with farmers in VIP villages through demonstrations, field visits, farmer meetings, and practical training.

Responsibilities include:

  • Identify farmers who have the interest and capacity to become beekeeping leaders or trainers within their communities.
  • Develop farmer-to-farmer learning and mentorship.
  • Provide ongoing technical support rather than one-time training.
  • Train farmers in both the technical and business aspects of beekeeping.
  • Encourage participation of women and young people in beekeeping enterprises.
  • Maintain strong relationships with farmer groups and community leaders.
  • Adapt training to the realities of smallholder farmers and the resources available in rural Malawi.
  • Demonstrate practical solutions that farmers can realistically maintain and replicate.

5. Beekeeping as a Livelihood Enterprise

The officer will help farmers see beekeeping not simply as an agricultural activity, but as a potential source of sustainable household income.

Responsibilities include:

  • Help farmers understand the economics of beekeeping.
  • Assist farmer groups in calculating production costs, expected yields, and potential income.
  • Help develop simple business plans for beekeeping enterprises.
  • Track hive productivity and farmer income over time.
  • Identify opportunities for collective harvesting, processing, packaging, and marketing.
  • Explore local, regional, and larger markets for honey and beeswax products.
  • Work with VIP leadership to develop appropriate branding and marketing strategies.
  • Help identify opportunities for value-added products such as beeswax candles and other hive products.
  • Help develop a model that can increasingly generate enough income to contribute to the program’s ongoing costs and future growth.

6. Environmental Stewardship, Bee Forage & Habitat Development

Beekeeping is closely connected to the health of the agricultural and natural environment. The officer will help farmers understand and strengthen the relationship between bees, flowering plants, trees, agriculture, and healthy ecosystems.

The officer will:

  • Be able to identify local plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees that provide important nectar and pollen sources for bees.
  • Develop practical knowledge of plants that flower during different seasons and help farmers understand how to provide a more continuous source of forage throughout the year.
  • Identify native and locally appropriate bee-friendly trees, flowering plants, and crops that can be incorporated into farms, homesteads, field boundaries, and communal areas.
  • Work with VIP’s agricultural team to develop a list of priority bee-forage plants and trees appropriate for the Zomba region.
  • Promote and demonstrate the planting of bee-forage plants and trees among VIP farmers and communities.
  • Encourage farmers to incorporate bee-friendly plants into existing agricultural and agroforestry systems rather than viewing beekeeping as a stand-alone activity.
  • Help identify opportunities for planting trees that simultaneously provide bee forage, fruit, fuelwood, timber, soil protection, shade, and other benefits to farmers.
  • Work with Two Sisters Farm to establish demonstration areas showcasing plants and trees that support healthy bee populations.
  • Encourage protection of existing flowering trees and natural habitats important to bees.
  • Help farmers understand how responsible pesticide use and other agricultural practices can affect bee health.
  • Support VIP’s broader efforts in reforestation, agroforestry, watershed restoration, climate-smart agriculture, and environmental stewardship.

7. Monitoring, Learning, and Program Development

  • Maintain accurate records of participating farmers, hives, colonies, harvests, honey yields, and sales.
  • Track the performance of different hive types and management approaches.
  • Compare the productivity and practicality of top-bar and Langstroth systems in VIP communities.
  • Document lessons learned and recommend improvements.
  • Prepare regular reports for VIP leadership.
  • Develop practical indicators to measure the program’s impact on:
    • Farmer income
    • Household livelihoods
    • Honey production
    • Food security
    • Environmental stewardship
    • Tree and bee-forage planting
    • Community participation
  • Stay informed about improved beekeeping technologies, practices, markets, and opportunities relevant to Malawi.

Qualifications and Experience

Degree in Forestry, or Natural Resources Management or Agribusiness Management from NCHE accredited institutions. Those that have a Beekeeping & Honey Processing Certificate will have an added advantage

Other Requirements

  • Demonstrated practical experience in beekeeping in Malawi.
  • Strong hands-on experience with both top-bar and Langstroth hives.
  • Demonstrated experience managing Langstroth colonies.
  • Practical experience harvesting and extracting honey from Langstroth hives using an extractor.
  • Experience training or mentoring other beekeepers or farmers.
  • Knowledge of bee colony management, hive maintenance, harvesting, and honey handling.
  • Knowledge of local plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees that provide nectar and pollen for bees, with the ability to identify and recommend appropriate bee-forage species.
  • Ability to teach farmers how to establish and maintain bee-friendly forage and habitat.
  • Ability to work independently in rural communities and travel regularly to VIP villages.
  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Ability to teach practical skills in a way that farmers can understand and apply.
  • Commitment to working respectfully with rural farmers and community leaders.
  • Experience working with women or youth livelihood groups.

Personal Qualities

A Practitioner and Teacher
Someone who enjoys working with their hands and can translate technical knowledge into practical skills that farmers can use.

Passionate About Bees
Someone who genuinely understands bees and beekeeping and can inspire farmers to see the possibilities of this livelihood.

Relational and Patient
Someone who understands that meaningful farmer development takes time, trust, demonstration, encouragement, and ongoing support.

Entrepreneurial
Someone who can see the potential for beekeeping to become a sustainable income-generating enterprise, not simply a development project.

Environmentally Minded
Someone who understands the connection between bees, trees, flowers, agriculture, pollination, healthy ecosystems, and climate resilience.

Resourceful
Someone who can solve problems creatively in rural settings where equipment, electricity, transportation, and other resources may be limited.

Collaborative
Someone comfortable working alongside Malawian colleagues, community leaders, farmers, government extension personnel, and VIP’s agricultural and livelihood teams.

Committed to Local Ownership
Someone who believes that the long-term success of the program depends upon farmers having the knowledge, skills, confidence, and ownership to sustain and grow it themselves.

Location

The position will be based in Zomba District, Malawi, with regular travel to the rural villages where Villages in Partnership works.

The position will require substantial time in the field working directly with farmers and farmer groups.

Reporting
The Beekeeping & Honey Enterprise Officer will report to the Programs Manager

Application

Applicants should submit:

  1. A current CV.
  2. A brief cover letter describing their beekeeping experience.
  3. Specific details of their experience with:
    • Langstroth hives
    • Top-bar hives
    • Honey extraction
    • Farmer training
    • Honey processing and marketing
    • Bee-forage plants and trees
    • Developing beekeeping as a livelihood enterprise.

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to participate in a practical assessment demonstrating their knowledge of hive management, honey harvesting, Langstroth honey extraction, and identification of plants and trees that provide important forage for bees.

Sent to: ipcvip2022@gmail.com; or delivered to VIP Office, P.O. 496, Matawale, Zomba: By 16th October 2026

Only shortlisted applicants will be notified.