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KENYA

Honey: the precious nectar that links tradition with the future of the new generation

For the Ogiek people honey has been the main food source during droughts and famine and played a key role in cultural practices. It was traded with neighbouring communities and used for dowry payments (at least one debe, or a 30 kg container, had to be given to the bride’s family). Honey was so precious that only certain people could handle it, and when it came to new hives a person had to prove that s/he was pure of heart and would not negatively affect the hives or honey.

Home to about 35,000 members of the Ogiek community, the Mau Forest has been subjected to systematic degradation and destruction since the early 1900s. From the 1980s, the destruction of the Mau Forest for coal mining, forestry and flower and tea plantations has become increasingly widespread. In the last 20 years 60% of the forest has been cut.

In 2015 The Ogiek Honey Slow Food Presidium was launched to protect the Mau Forest ecosystem and promote the value of the Ogiek people’s ancestral culture through honey, their most important product. The Macodev (Mariashoni Community Development) Cooperative, a community-based organisation that brings together 12 groups of beekeepers, is working to increase production volumes, differentiate the various types of honey produced, improve packaging, and promote honey in hotels, restaurants and shops.

Before the Presidium honey was mainly used in the household and for exchange with neighbours, with only a small quantity sold. The formation of the Macodev Cooperative has played a critical role in improving the quantity and quality of honey produced. The number of hives has increased from 200 in 2015 to 600 at the end of 2017. This led to an increase in the quantity of honey produced and, due to improved quality, the prices of the honey rose from KES100 (US$0.97; €0.87) to KES179 (US$1.73; €1.56) per kilogram from 2015 to 2017. Honey is sold in shops in the nearby towns of Elburgon, Molo, and Nakuru. In addition, the Presidium has witnessed an increased participation of women in beekeeping.

The Ogiek way of life is based on natural resources provided by the forest–they are hunter-gatherers whose main activity is apiculture some also grow crops and raise animals. The forest was a shared resource and each clan was allocated a section of the forest to manage sustainably and therefore benefit from its resources. At one time, beekeeping was carried out exclusively by men, particularly the community elders, who were entrusted with constructing hives and harvesting honey without damaging trees. Young men accompanied their fathers to the apiaries to learn traditional practices, which ensured that knowledge related to beekeeping was passed down from generation to generation. A part of a young man’s initiation involved climbing trees to retrieve honey and withstand bee stings.

Traditional wine was made from honey and a fruit known as rotonik, from a tree Kigelia africana, that is known in the community as “sausage tree” due to the shape of its fruits. The drink was used during social events, meetings, and initiation ceremonies. After a woman had a baby, her husband had to wait four days to see the newborn. During the four days, he prepared honey wine that would be drunk with the community during the official presentation of his child. Whenever there were conflicts, meetings were held to find a solution and honey wine was consumed to symbolise the union of the community. The wine was also used during rituals that were held through calamities – drought, floods and lightening.

Through the Presidium, the community has increased efforts to protect the Mau Forest as their ancestral home and to promote beekeeping practices, with most of the groups’ members joining the Community Forest Associations. Honey producers have taken part in planting endemic trees to counter the introduction of exotic trees to the forest, which threaten the future of the unique local honey. Since 2015 the Ogiek community has taken part in responsible tourism initiatives in collaboration with the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity and the Network for Ecofarming in Africa. In addition, the community recently won an eight-year legal battle (defending their rights to live in the forest) that was itself a continuation of other legal battles that date back to the colonial era in the 1930s when the Ogiek people were exterminated and driven from their ancestral lands to make room for colonial settlers. The creation of forest reserves has also kept the Ogiek from being able to access their land.

For the Ogiek people honey was the main food source during droughts and famine, traded with neighbouring communities and used for dowry payments. It was considered so precious that only certain people could handle it

Photos © Archivio Slow Food

For the Ogiek people honey was the main food source during droughts and famine, traded with neighbouring communities and used for dowry payments. It was considered so precious that only certain people could handle it

Following the formation of the Macodev Cooperative the number of hives increased from 200 in 2015 to 600 at the end of 2017

Several changes have taken place within the Ogiek community due to continued interaction with members of other tribes, including Kikuyu and Kipsigis herders. The interaction with the outside world also contributed significantly to the disruption of the forest ecosystem and therefore to the Ogieks’ home.

Promoting beekeeping not only contributes to the preservation of the forest; it is also an important economic activity for Ogiek youth and communities and can help to lift them out of poverty.

The Ogiek Honey Slow Food Presidium is supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development thanks to a project that seeks to empower indigenous youth and their communities to defend and promote their food heritage.

Source: www.fondazioneslowfood. com/en/honey-the-preciousnectar-that-links-tradition-with-thefuture-of-the-new-generation/

CAMEROON

Visiting the bees at the BARUDEV apiary in Njinikom, part of nature conservation caring for creation and ensuring justice for the care of creation

Photo © Chia Bernard Ful, BARUDEV

SOLOMON ISLANDS

Following the destruction of the entire bee population by parasites in the 2000s, the Solomon Islands has now restarted its honey production. Producers in the Pacific Islands, particularly women, are accessing beekeeping through training and the provision of equipment supported by the Solomon Rural Development Programme (RDP) and the Solomon Islands Small Business Enterprise Centre (SISBEC).

Since 2015, 700 hives have been distributed to farmers and 140 small-scale producers have been trained in colony management and good business management. The Ministry for Development Planning and Aid Coordination reports the assistance has helped generate average revenues of €13,000 (US$14,200) per year for the Solomon Islands (€1,430; US$1,570 per producer). Between 2016 and 2018 honey production grew from almost zero to over 1,100 litres (mostly sold locally).

In the 2000s the Solomon Islands produced enough honey to consider export – thanks to the work of 2,000 beekeepers with over 400,000 colonies. However, the introduction of Asian honey bees carrying Varroa brought the sector to its knees.

Fifteen years later most producers sell their honey to an intermediary. Rodney Suibea a SISBEC member says that SISBEC guarantees an outlet for small-scale producers by purchasing their honey for SI$40-50 (€4.40-5.50; US$4.80-6.00) per 350 ml. “Honey production is around 4-5 tonnes per year, and this cannot meet local demand” says Suibea. SISBEC is projecting production of 10-15 tonnes by 2020/22. “The honey can then be exported. We have confirmed there is a market for Solomon Islands honey in New Zealand and it is appreciated in Japan” says Suibea.

“SISBEC will soon be signing up all beekeepers to the Australia New Zealand Bank GoMoney programme that will allow SISBEC to purchase honey from producers through their GoMoney account. SISBEC will also be creating buying centres for producers who do not currently have access to local shops”, says Gabriel Hiele of RDP.

The most spectacular progress has been made by the Gizo Women in Business Organisation, also supported by SISBEC, which brings together more than 300 producers on Gizo Island. One member Janet Beri earns SIS42,800-48,150 (€4,700-5,300; US$5,130-5,790) a year through the sale of honey from ten colonies. “My husband and I are villagers who work on our plot in order to survive. We can sell honey and make ends meet. We can easily cover school fees and send our son who left school a long time ago on a business course in a professional training centre”.

Source: Spore June-August 2019 no 193 (CTA The Netherlands)

Israeli scientists find a flower they say can hear approaching bees

Scientists at Tel Aviv University say they have found a flower that hears the approach of pollinating bees and hawkmoths and produces extra and sweeter nectar in response.

Using the Evening Primrose Oenothera drummondii scientists showed that the sound of a flying bee, as well as synthetic sound signals at similar frequencies, induced the flowers to secrete sweeter nectar within three minutes. Flower petals vibrate when sound waves at the frequency produced by pollinators’ wings pass by serve as the plant’s auditory sensory organ. The flowers do not respond to frequency sound.

The great majority (87.5%) of flowering plants rely on animal pollinators for reproduction. In these plants attracting pollinators can increase plant fitness and is achieved using signals such as colour, odour and shape, and by food rewards of nectar and pollen. However, offering such an increased reward can be physiologically costly.

To test this possible sense of ‘hearing’ in the flowers, scientists measured petal vibration and nectar sugar concentration in response to sounds. The study’s results suggest plants have evolved (any may be evolving) to become better at hearing, primarily through the shapes of flowers.

It also suggests that human-made sounds could be negatively affecting plants’ ability to attract the appropriate pollinators by confusing their sound detection and nectar production systems.

Source: American Bee Journal July 2019

Considerations for a successful beekeeping programme

Not all beekeeping programmes yield the outcomes anticipated for the programme recipients. Towards gaining understanding of best practice for beekeeping development work, Researchers Cooper Schouten and David Lloyd, working at Southern Cross University in Australia, distributed a survey with 28 questions to professionals working in the beekeeping development sector. Their findings are detailed in the paper cited below, and this is their conclusion:

While beekeeping for development has been seen as a “silver bullet” for sustainable community agricultural development programmes and agencies worldwide, there are a number of considerations that must be taken into account in order for beekeeping programmes to succeed. It is essential that beekeepers and development organisations have a good understanding of the floral resources available to honey bees and that local people, local skills and resources are central to beekeeping programme design.

Beekeeping programmes need to have clearly defined mechanisms for choosing appropriate beneficiaries and without appropriate and on-going extension, training, mentoring and market access, beekeeping enterprises are more likely to be unsuccessful. While beekeeping has multiple benefits to offer as an alternative income-generating activity for many of the world’s poor, apicultural development programmes should not overlook the fact that honey bees, just like any other type of livestock, require good nutrition, pest and disease management, and appropriate support mechanisms to be successful.

Further research and support for professionals engaged in apiculture in developing countries is needed for beekeepers to improve the sustainability, productivity and profitability of their enterprises.

Citation: Cooper Nat Schouten & David John Lloyd (2019): Considerations and Factors Influencing the Success of Beekeeping Programs in Development Countries, Bee World, https://doi.org/10.1080/0005772X.2019.1607805