Beekeeping development in Bas-Zaire, Zaire

by Heather Latham, Programme Agricole/Apicole, Bas-Zaire (Photographs: D Bolrot).

Living conditions in Bas-Zaire are not always easy and for many it is difficult to make two ends meet. The Salvation Army is an organisation which works to draw out the full potential of people, and salvationists consider that development goes towards this by providing basic needs: food, health, housing and education. The Agricultural Programme has for several years offered a variety of activities, including the teaching of beekeeping in rural villages.

How it started

1982-1986: during this four-year period there was a succession of Peace Corps volunteers who passed through the Army's Centre at Mbanza-Nzundu. Their work was teaching villagers to make hives and keep bees, allowing them to harvest honey without burning colonies.

This led to 50 people becoming beekeepers in a 40km radius around Mbanza-Nzundu. Honey was produced but its transfer to a potentially lucrative market proved difficult. Teaching stopped and the beekeepers were left to carry on as best they could.

1985-1987: Two volunteers introduced the activity to villages close to Kavwaya during this period that the Programme Started to buy honey. The two expatriates managed to establish the present system of village teachers; people who were chosen and trained in order that they would voluntarily teach others in their own villages (auto-training). The aim was to reduce reliance on the Programme and to increase responsibility of the villagers.

-1987: The leadership team was made up of one expatriate and three Zairians. Their aim was to stabilise and strengthen the system of village teachers and to co-ordinate the different activities of the Programme. During this time, to facilitate follow-up in the villages, the geographical area was divided into five sections with one village teacher responsible for each section.

-1988: The emphasis was placed on a global approach to the problems faced by village groups. Other development projects and organisations in the area were put into contact with the groups and thus a wider variety of activities was offered in the villages. The agriculture and beekeeping Programme aims to integrate its activities into existing, independent village structures such as village associations.

General objectives of the Programme

• To teach beekeeping techniques

• To establish financially independent production and marketing of honey.

Organisational structure

Awareness, teaching and follow-up: this system of working has proved effective and efficient. When introducing an activity to a new area villagers are made aware of the benefits and opportunities of beekeeping. Teaching is then given on the biology of bees and techniques of beekeeping, and regular visits to the villages ensure complete understanding and putting into practice of the technique.

* Please see the original journal article for diagrams

The future

The Programme would like to sell material for making hives at cost price. Wood is difficult to find and the lack of hives is a limiting factor in the spread of this activity. We aim to provide all village teachers with two bee-suits, a smoker and the necessary material for extracting honey. Smokers are made by the Programme and the suits are made in villages from flour sacks. This equipment is given with the understanding that the beekeeper teaches six people in six months.

The Programme will stop giving basic beekeeping courses at its centre and will place the emphasis on encouraging beekeepers to organise and hold courses in villages. Refresher courses for those already trained will be held at the centre.

The intention now is to concentrate on finding a suitable system which can be used to insure the auto-financing of the activity, taking into account a salary, transport costs for marketing honey, and costs of pots and labels.

Conclusions

The Programme's aim is global and plurisectorial, in other words it:

• thinks through with villagers the problems met in the villages

• puts village groups into contact with other development projects

• encourages the formation of structured village associations of development committees, to facilitate thinking and working together to solve problems encountered by the community.