News

GHANA

I am always pleased to receive Bees for Development Journal. I am excited to inspire local people here in Kete Krachi, in the northern Volta of Ghana, to attach beekeeping to their traditional yam farming.

The picture shows Mr Gyingyi Nelson who has benefited a lot from the beekeeping I introduced to him two years ago. Following training he and his wife now have seven colonised hives and eight litres of honey from their first harvest.

In addition, they have extracted some beeswax and made honey wine from the residue obtained after honey extraction.

Kafui Kwesi Appia, Honeyforwealth Beekeeper’ Cooperative, Kete Krachi

Gyingyi Nelson

Photo © Kafui Kwesi Appia

JAMAICA

Promoting beekeeping at the Denbigh Agricultural Show

Photo © Adrian Watson

Thank you for the Bees for Development Resource Box we received earlier this year. We have put the contents to good use at recent events.

The Jamaica Environmental Entrepreneurs’ Advocacy Network in collaboration with Honai Beez Apiary advocates the role of entrepreneurship in environmental protection, with beekeeping as a major tool the outreach is promoting. I made a presentation at the annual Denbigh Agricultural Show hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture to promote beekeeping as a sustainable living both in a rural and urban context.

At the June meeting of the Kingston and St Andrew Beekeepers’ Association new beekeepers were introduced to the correct processes for melting and cleaning wax

Dr Khadijah Williams, one of the Directors of the Village Academy School of Agriculture, Moneague, St Ann, invited me to make a presentation on beekeeping as a source of income to the students who have at some stage come into conflict with the law and/or are from low income homes.

Dr Williams and I are now in discussion about starting beekeeping training at the School, certifiable under Jamaica’s National Vocational Training Qualifications programme.

Adrian Watson, Jamaica Environmental Entrepreneurs’ Advocacy Network, Kingston

PEURTO RICO

Hurricane María in September 2017 caused devastation that is still affecting the Island. After reading an Instagram post about the natural disaster to our agriculture, I discovered the importance of bees and how essential they are to our recovery. I started to research and discovered that 90% of the bee population had disappeared after the hurricane. If one does not understand the importance of bees and does not act, our agriculture and our lives are at a major risk. Without bees we have no pollination, agriculture will suffer and our livelihoods are in danger.

I am a 9th grade student at Saint John’s School and together with another 40 students we are creating the Be a Bee Initiative. The Initiative is encouraging students to be part of the secret world of bees in Puerto Rico. Our mission is to unite people by bringing together schools from different parts around the Island.

The Initiative was launched on 3 March 2018, when we installed the first Beehive Observatory in our school allowing students to observe and discover the colony. Our educational programme is starting to impact others and we want to share it!

TANZANIA

Sustainable Beekeeping and Human Development (SuBeHuDe) is a locally registered NGO established in 2015. SuBeHuDe is promoting Sustainable Human Development for the benefit of the public by the preservation, conservation and protection of the environment and the far-sighted use of resources.

We offer short courses on beekeeping and other subjects including biodiversity and environmental conservation, permaculture and sustainable resource management: see our website: www.subehude.or.tz. Thank you for the interesting material and information you send us through Bees for Development Journal.

Singu K Mayaya, Director, SuBeHuDe, Tabora

Participants from one of the recent beekeeping courses organised by SuBeHuDe

Photo © Singu K Mayaya

Support for training

BfD Training Booklets and Training Cards are for use by beekeeper trainers in Africa.

Each booklet provides one day of training on one topic. The cards provide pictures and plans illustrating techniques discussed in the booklets. These are included in our Resource Boxes for training events and workshops.

Projects and associations in developing countries are welcome to apply for a Sponsored Resource Box by filling out an application form on our website, or request the form by email.

Projects in other areas can purchase Resource Boxes through our website store.

www.beesfordevelopment.org