Squads Abroad is a 501c3 non-profit organization under our parent company Global Brigades, a Platinum Level Guidestar member for Financial Transparency. Since 2004, our organization has collectively mobilized more than 70,000 international volunteers to help resolve global health and economic disparities around the world.
SUSTAINABLE IMPACT
WHERE WE WORK
PARTNERS
ABOUT US
Lead a Squad
Contact Us

Short Supply Chains – Applied Study on the Global Supply Chain of Honey Producers in Honduras

Ask us how you and your class can customize this program to be offered in person in one of our program countries.

Learn and apply supply chain strategies to support honey producers in Honduras.

Students are guided by our local economic development professionals and industry experts to learn about the short honey supply chains in Honduras and make recommendations to our beekeeping clients to generate more income. Students will gain exposure to beekeepers, associations/cooperatives, local buyers, and exporters/importers. Through interviews, industry research, return on investment calculations, and cultural sharing, students make recommendations to the beekeeping clients to help them decide what additional value-add activities they should adopt and what investments to make to increase profitability.

In addition to our skill-based learning objectives, building cultural competence is integrated into the course to increase the quality of services and improve outcomes with community partners.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

​​Students that successfully complete the Agricultural Supply Chain (Honey) will be able to:

  1. Analyze economic issues impacting rural communities in a developing country.
  2. Describe the role and function of each element of their beekeeping client’s supply chain.
  3. Collaborate in small groups to develop recommendations and collateral materials to improve the supply chain for their beekeeping client’s business.
  4. Present and explain recommendations and collateral materials to their beekeeping clients.

Resources provided in support of the virtual sessions and Modules

  • Bilingual, on-the-ground session facilitators and client liaisons with business backgrounds who will coordinate each virtual session with students.
  • A translator is provided in each virtual session in which students engage with business clients.
  • Honduran honey industry expert.
  • Full-time local teams that work year-round to support business clients.
  • Electronic support materials in Canvas (LMS) are provided to all students.
  • Session scheduling that coordinates all class meetings and meetings with business clients.
  • Students in each program will work with a coffee client (coffee farmer or group of farmers) in small working groups.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Self-paced activities before Module 1 

Students will read several articles before Module 1 on the process of beekeeping and honey production in Honduras, and Spanish vocabulary used in the honey industry.

Module 1: Introduction to Kambia/Global Brigades, Economic Context in Honduras, Social Determinants Impacting the Economic Situation, and What Does It Mean to be a Consultant in an International Context? And how to Analyze a Business?  (Contact time: 2 hours est.)

Discuss the mission and vision of Kambia/Global Brigades, the economic context in Honduras, the social determinants affecting the economic situation of rural communities in this country, Client selection process  and key principles of international business consulting. Students will review the use of the Business Model Canvas.

Module 1 – Self-paced follow-up activities

Students will read several articles on the honey production in Honduras. Based on their readings, students will prepare questions for the Module 2 discussion with a Honduran honey industry expert.

Module 2: Introduction to the Honey Supply and Value Chain  (Contact time: 2 hours est.)

A locally-based industry expert in beekeeping and honey production explains the honey supply chain – from beekeeping in rural Honduras to honey processing, distribution, and export.  Students will discuss the challenges beekeepers experience and how to generate income during months between harvests of honey. Students will compare and contrast honey supply chains in Honduras with those from other countries.

Module 2 – Self-paced follow-up activities

Students will read articles about bee species used in Honduras, honey yield, and the impact of climate change to prepare for a discussion in Module 3.

    1. Analysis of the Hive Yield of Three Species of Bees for Honey Production in Eastern Honduras
    2. Honey Production and Climate Change: Beekeepers’ Perceptions, Farm  Adaptation Strategies, and Information Needs


Module 3: What is the Experience of a Commercial Beekeeper? How Does a Short Supply Chain Work? The role of the Asociaciones / Cooperativas de Productores Apicolas. How Does Global Brigades Support Asociaciones / Cooperativas? Beekeeper Profile and Meeting Preparation (Contact time: 2 hours est.)

Students will learn about the challenges faced by a beekeeper producing and selling honey. Based on these challenges, students draft a non-monetary three-step solution and present it to a financial expert for feedback. Global Brigades’ financial division director (Eskala) explains how honey associations/cooperatives are organized, Global Brigades’ support for them, benefits for beekeepers, and how associations/cooperatives support their members.

Students read the client profile and begin drafting questions for their client in Module 4.

Module 3 – Self-paced follow-up activities

Students review their notes from past Modules in preparation for the client meeting, and finalize questions for their client meeting in Module 4.

Module 4: Beekeeping Client Meeting 1 (Contact time: 2 hours est.)

First meeting between the beekeeping client and students to gather the information needed to analyze the current client’s supply chain, develop a consultant-client relationship, and have a cultural exchange.

Module 4 – Self-paced follow-up Activity

Students analyze the current honey supply chain of their client.

Module 5: Working Session 1 (Contact time: 2 hours est.)

Review notes from client meetings and divide into working groups to analyze their client’s honey supply chain and begin to draft solutions to help the client expand the scope of their business by adding activities in the next level of the supply chain.

Students prepare an initial presentation for feedback from the honey industry expert in Module 6.

Module 5 – Self-paced follow-up Activity

Students continue to revise their initial presentation for the honey industry expert in Module 6.

Module 6: Feedback Session with the Honey Industry Expert and Working Session 2 (Contact time: 2 hours est.)

Students present their group analysis and client solutions to the honey industry expert for feedback.

In the second part of the session, based upon the feedback received from the honey industry expert, students prepare questions for their honey client meeting in Module 7 to seek information to help them finalize their presentation and to collect data to analyze the return on investment.

Module 6 – Self-paced follow-up Activity

Students continue to revise questions for their beekeeping client meeting in Module 7.

Module 7: Beekeeping Client Meeting 2 (Contact time: 2 hours est.)

Students meet with their beekeeping client to seek information needed to help them finalize their presentation and collect data to analyze the return on investment.

Module 7 – Self-paced follow-up Activity

Based upon the meeting with their beekeeping client, students revise their supply chain recommendations and collateral (including a return on investment projection).

Modules 8: Working Session 3 (Contact time: 2 hours est.)

Students in their groups continue to revise their client supply chain recommendations and collateral (including a return on investment projection) in preparation for their presentation to the honey industry expert in Module 9.

Module 8 – Self-paced follow-up Activity

Students continue to revise their client supply chain recommendations and collateral.

Module 9:  Presentation and Honey Industry Expert Feedback (Contact time: 2 hours est.)

Students in their groups present their client supply chain recommendations and collateral (including a return on investment projection) for feedback from the honey industry expert.

Module 9 – Self-paced follow-up Activity

Based upon the meeting with the honey industry expert, students revise their presentation and collateral. They also draft a technical Executive Summary of their presentation, following their professors’ guidelines, to be presented to their faculty in Module 10.

Module 10: Executive Summary Presentation to the Faculty (Contact time: 2 hours est.)

Students in their groups present their technical Executive Summary to their faculty for feedback and a grade.

Module 10 – Self-paced follow-up Activity

Based upon faculty feedback, students revise their presentation and collateral for their presentation to their beekeeping client in Module 11.

Module 11: Final Presentation to Beekeeping Client (Contact time: 2 hours est.)

Student groups present their recommendations and collateral to their beekeeping client and receive feedback.

Module 11 – Self-paced follow-up Activity

Based upon the client meeting, students complete final revisions to their recommendations and collateral.

Module 12: Debrief and Final Reflection (Contact time: 2 hours est.)

Debrief with the student groups on their clients’ feedback and reflections on personal and professional development during the program.

SCHEDULE A CALL

Request Information

Are you a student and not a faculty member? Find a student-led brigade Chapter near you.