Let's Build Gonave, Haiti!

Hurko and La Gonave Honeybee Association is researching the building of an app that the public and local beekeepers can use.  The idea would be to explain what our association is about, the island, and projects that we have. This app will help link local beekeepers to important resources about beekeeping on the island, maps, and trainings/meetings.  We will decide by Summer of 2016 if this is a project that we are going to move forward on.  Currently we are also researching a virtual newsletter.  This newsletter is mainly for educating people outside of Haiti about the honeybee project to increase revenue and investments, however locals will be able to access the newsletter as well.  We are still looking into a potential website that would link from the app, and would contain the newsletter.  A website would be built from cooperative funds and have forums so that the association members would be able to help each other with issues that come up.  Las...

Observation Grant that we talked about in a previous blog for $1,500 plus $150 for the purchase of honeybees, has moved on the the final stage in the process of approval. The beecause.org has approved the first phase and the information that was provided.  We are now on to the next one and we are extremely happy.  This observation hive will set La Gonave apart from many areas in the Caribbean and even the United States.  How many schools, colleges, or universities have observation hives? We are committed to Haiti, and La Gonvae.  What started off as talk and hope has lead to the joining of Hurko, a relationship with a not-for-profit, and now an emerging economy on La Gonave.  Once the hive is put in place we will have photos.  Not only will you see the hive being assembled, installed, but also the honeybees being placed in. Go Gonave!

This is the type of minibus that we are hoping to put on the island of La Gonave, Haiti.  This video will show you have fast the vehicles can go.  Keep in mind that they are all electric and can even have a solar panel on top. Click here to see video Go Gonvae!

One of the goals I have setup is to have the cooperative be able to build a subway franchise on La Gonave.  Not only would the cooperative be the majority owner, we possibly would have a series of private owners.  When looking at the map, there are currently no Subway franchises in Haiti, however Dominican Republic does have a few. La Gonave would need to make many improvements within the future to make landing a franchise possible.  Surprisingly the financial aspect and even the prior restaurant requirement isn't a problem.  The biggest issues are infrastructure problems as well as regional incomes.  To overcome this issue, the island would need a higher amount of locals who have some disposable income.  The infrastructure issue is one that is being looked at and could be solved pretty quickly.  In fact we are also solving the income issue as well when you look at the business incubator program, potential tourism, and farming jobs.  Putting th...

About a month ago I got connected to a Haitian American who has been working with coffee exports in Haiti and now they have started their own mead.  Mead is basically a honey wine.  While the product does exists, it uses a series of secret Haitian spices, and local honey from Washington State.  The investor wants to change where the honey is obtained and is looking closely at La Gonave and our budding industry. I had an opportunity to sample his mead, which was amazing.  Next weekend I will visit the meadery that made the product.  While talking to the investor about our plans for the honeybee operation he had mentioned that he would possibly be interested in our honey production and possibly putting the meadery on La Gonave. One of the things I have been pushing from a far is that La Gonave is the best place to do business as it is a blank canvas where you can put various ideas.  The honeybee project is starting to create a rippling effect, which is w...

The Backyard Beekeeper which is one of the many honeybee books we will have purchased. Through many of the projects that I have been researching there are books and magazines that are very important to developing agriculture on La Gonave.  Many of these books have provided detail guidance on next steps. We have started the process of purchasing some books that will go into a small Agricultural Library.  Since our first project is in honeybees and deforestation/reforestation, the first books will pertain to those subjects.  The first set of books should arrive on Dec. 2.  We will set a budget for future purchases of books that will be for the library on La Gonave. This Agricultural Library is only for members of the Cooperative.  So regardless of what type of farming they are in, if they are part of the cooperative then they would have access to this library.  The books can not be checked out and taken out of the library.  Members can read the...

This is an image I took today on my exercise walk.  This is one of many semi-paved walking paths in the city of Seattle.  Tomorrow I will show a modern paved bike only path and how it is served by transit bus.  Now while the image I took is mainly used for walking, bicycles often take this path, and in fact the path goes around a lake and used for many as a bike and walking/jogging path. In more rural areas such a path as mentioned above would work.  Now this path is about a little larger than 3 feet wide, so building a 5 ft. or so wide path would be the way to go.  The small gravel will allow for both pedestrian and bike traffic.  Even moped could use path/bikeway.  Possibly creating a distinction between rural and urban bikeways.  Something like what is shown above is more of a rural bikeway.  Not only are these type of bikeways very fast to build, they are also very affordable.  This will allow for proper water drainage, good tra...