Bees for Development Journal 123 July 2017
Locally certified organic beekeeping in Mwingi, Kenya Peter Musinguzi, University of Copenhagen, Denmark Introduction
Organic Co-operative (MOC). In this study we aimed to understand the impact of organic certification upon livelihoods. A comparison was made between the situation in 2008 and in 2015, and between beekeepers whose practices were organic certified and those who were not. A total 303 households (185 certified and 118 noncertified) were randomly sampled from 54 beekeepers’ groups between December 2015 and February 2016. A household questionnaire was used to collect qualitative and quantitative data. Data from 2008, collected in 2015, was based on recall and records. Key informant interviews, informal conversations, participant observation, participatory rural appraisal and secondary data also informed the research.
Governments and NGOs acknowledge that beekeeping supports rural livelihoods in Africa. It is associated with forest conservation, and agencies have promoted it with the twin objectives of improving livelihoods, while conserving forests. Honey can be produced in ways that are beneficial for forests and the environment, and one way to capitalise on this link is to seek organic certification. There are gaps in our understanding of how poor communities can benefit from organic certification, and we therefore studied the impact of local organic certification of honey production upon the livelihoods of beekeepers in Kenya. Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) form 80% of the country and produce approximately 80% of the country’s honey. The ASAL are home to about 90% of Kenya’s forest resources.
Key results The study looked at metrics including honey price, quantities sold, trading channels used, profit margins and overall household income. Table 1 shows number of beekeepers selling into different market channels and the quantities sold. Across both certified and non-certified beekeepers, honey trade doubled from 6,258kg in 2008 to 12,738kg in 2015. While the non-certified beekeepers more than doubled their cumulative sales (over 100%), the increase in sales by certified beekeepers was slightly less, an increase of 92%. The proportion of certified producers who sold through MOC fell between 2008
Case study and research question This study focusses on beekeeping and honey selling in Mwingi, eastern Kenya, where beekeeping has long formed a part of mixed farming and livestock livelihoods. In 2002 a range of development interventions were implemented to support beekeepers. One intervention established a marketing group called Mwingi Market Place (MMP) and beekeepers were trained in organic apiculture. Subsequently, MMP was formalised into Mwingi
Table 1. Market channels used by beekeepers for honey trade and quantities of honey Market channel used for honey trade
Non-certified beekeepers N=118 Frequency
%
Certified beekeepers N=185
Kg honey sold Frequency
%
Kg honey sold
2008 Mwingi Organic Co-operative
31
26.26
166
64
34.59
566
Brokers
65
55.08
1,680
87
47.03
2,465
3
2.54
50
6
3.24
310
Individual honey processors Consumers Honey consumed at home, not sold Totals
1
0.85
10
4
2.16
106
18
15.25
435
24
12.97
470
118
100
2,341
185
100
3,917
2
1.69
44
31
16.67
932
2015 Mwingi Organic Co-operative Brokers
105
88.98
4,346
132
71.35
5,296
Individual honey processors
3
2.54
326
5
2.7
647
Consumers
0
0
0
3
1.62
25
Honey consumed at home, not sold
8
6.78
507
14
7.57
615
118
100
5,223
185
100
7,515
Totals
16
