Bees for Development Journal 132 September 2019
Promoting sustainable beekeeping to alleviate deprivation and poverty Kwame Aidoo, Director and Isaac Mbroh, Apiculture Development Coordinator Bees for Development Ghana The Kwahu Afram Plains North District in north-east Ghana is a remote island, accessible by ferry boat or canoe and with few roads. Despite economic growth in Ghana, inequality is increasing and poverty continues in many rural areas like Kwahu, where communities suffer extreme poverty. One of the strongest indicators of deprivation is the low level of education with many young people failing to progress beyond primary school, further condemning them to a life of poverty.
These people are living on the fringes of Digya National Park (DNP). Poverty forces them to exploit the Park’s resources, and men engage in honey hunting, which is against the law, and creates conflict with Park officials. Revenue from honey hunting and small-scale farming is meagre, and communities suffer from chronic poverty, poor housing and an inability to pay school fees. These people do have access to rich natural resources, especially honey bees and forest. There are already well-established trade paths for honey, people are familiar with bees, and the area is suitable for beekeeping.
“I went to secondary school but when I went to sit my exams I was not allowed to. I had no money to pay the exam fee. I studied hard – but now I have nothing to show for it”.
The honey hunters have expressed a huge interest in beekeeping however they lack knowledge, experience and the means to begin, as there is no culture of using bee hives in this area. Our aim for this Project is to turn honey hunters into beekeepers, and to generate new revenue to improve their livelihoods. Women are interested also in keeping bees and trading honey.
Photos © Isaac Mbroh
Mohammed Mustafa, Bonaso, Kwahu (February 2019)
Wrapping a simple bamboo hive to make it waterproof 3
