Ethical Beekeeping & Sustainable Public-Private Partnerships
The Rwanda apiculture sector has over the years been shaped by multiple stakeholders who often have varying goals. The Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), Department of Animal Resources Innovation and Technology Transfer has established a national beekeeping program with the aim of promoting collaboration with research institutions; facilitating more public-private research initiatives; identifying new business opportunities; and providing technical support among others.
The SMART Challenge
Working closely with ROBEEC (a private company) focused on the development of ethical beekeeping practices, SMART needs to identify and design a public-private partnerships (PPP) framework that RAB could use in harmonizing the various existing stakeholders for the purposes of promoting research, sustainable production and markets. To achieve this, the team will need to accomplish the following three objectives:
1. Maps out key stakeholders in the apiculture value chain
2. Identifies strategies that might be adopted to promote public-private partnerships (PPP)
3. Supports the development of research, education and marketing activities that promote sustainable beekeeping opportunities
2023-2024 SMART Fellows
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Grace Dorward
Bachelor of Science in Global Development, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Project: Ethical Beekeeping & Sustainable Public-Private Partnerships
Grace is a sophomore in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences pursuing Global Development and Agricultural Sciences. She is originally from Dallas, Texas, where she runs a small urban homestead, which taught her the value of food systems as an environmental, economic, and social tool, inspiring her to pursue agricultural technology and innovation as a mechanism for global change. She currently works as a research assistant on the Gender and Equity Global Food System Team, which she hopes will further inform her work on the Rwanda apiculture project. Grace is also a beekeeper and hopes to bring her technological knowledge and experience to the project while learning more about emerging markets, role of government, private companies, and case study writing.
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Rhealynn Tanwangco Ravarra
Master of Professional Studies in Global Development, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Project: Ethical Beekeeping & Sustainable Public-Private Partnerships
Rhealynn is a graduate student in the Global Development Program. She holds a bachelors degree in Agricultural and Environmental Plant Science from California Polytechnic State University, where she contributed to research in strawberry pathology and examined the bio-fertilizer potential of a nitrogen-fixing bacterium. Before attending Cornell, she served in AmeriCorps at Paradise Parking Plots Community Garden--a space for refugees and asylum seekers to connect and grow culturally relevant food--worked as an educator and coordinator for nonprofits focused on engaging youth with local agroecosystems. Rhealynn is keen on exploring the relationship between community resilience and agroecology, seeks to elevate local knowledge, challenge relief paradigms, and advocate for equitable and sustainable food systems.
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Arya Shekarandaz
Master of Public Administration, Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy
Project: Ethical Beekeeping & Sustainable Public-Private Partnerships
Arya is a second-year Master of Public Administration candidate concentrating in International Development. He is interested in the ethical aspects of international development and hopes to build his quantitative skills and gain on-the-ground experience. Arya previously collaborated with the National Council of Climate Change in the Dominican Republic to help meet the requirements of the UNFCCC. He graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a specialization in finance. Prior to joining Cornell, Arya served as an AmeriCorps VISTA Leader, overseeing volunteer teams of up to 30 members.
Project Lead and Faculty Advisors
Dr. Fridah Mubichi-Kut
Professor of Practice, Executive Director SMART (Student Multidisciplinary Applied Research Teams), Applied Economics and Policy, Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
Fridah is the executive director of the Student Multidisciplinary Applied Research Teams (SMART) Program and Professor of Practice in Applied Economics and Management at the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management and SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University. Perplexed by the paradox of the hungry farmer, her research is focused on understanding the role economic development policies, social networks, information and communication technologies (ICTs) play in the promotion of new agricultural innovations. Fridah values and understands the responsibility multidisciplinary teams have in solving complex problems and developing sustainable solutions. Trained first as an international business administrator and later social scientist, she has taught, worked, and supported various organizations and projects internationally. Most recently, she worked as director of monitoring and evaluation within a USDA agricultural commodity research program and previously a social scientist within two USAID- Feed the Future innovation projects. Fridah holds a Ph.D. degree from the University of Missouri Division of Applied Social sciences.
David Sossa
Technician IV, McArt Lab Department of Entomology, Cornell University
David is an expert beekeeper with a Master’s degree in beekeeping from Cornell University. As a researcher and beekeeper enthusiast, he is highly knowledgeable and interested in honeybee and bumble bee management in field and laboratory settings. As a lab technician, he is involved in sample extractions and preparations for pesticide residue analysis; data collection from agricultural fields; bee sampling and dissections; DNA extraction, and PCRs among other tasks. Likewise, he is knowledgeable in pollinator research activities such as grafting, queen rearing, pest and pathogen control, and pathogen inoculation. As a lab manager, he is responsible for maintaining the Mc-Art beekeeping warehouse as well as implementing and overseeing field and laboratory safety protocols. David is originally from Colombia, where he worked with Africanized bees.
Field Dates: Jan 7-16, 2024Field Location: Kigali, Mbazi Rwanda