BEEKEEPING AND DEVELOPMENT 35
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NEWS AROUND BOSNIA
SUP
BIRCHMORE
WOREDD
VISION
CAMEROON
Beekeeping in Begov
Hai, Bosna
Before the conflict, there was an active beekeepers’ association in the area of Begov Han in the Zenica-Doboj Canton. There are now 16 association members in Begov Han, but they are unable to restart honey production except on a very small-scale, because most of their hives were destroyed; of the 1,039 formerly owned by members of the association, 42 are left. The 16 core members of the beekeepers’ association have the necessary skills to build hives, to produce, process and market the honey, and to instruct other community members in all aspects of beekeeping, but need assistance with purchasing materials and new colonies of bees. World Vision UK is providing the necessary financial support.
World Vision is also carrying out relief distributions in five areas of the Zenica Canton to particularly vulnerable sectors of the population such as the handicapped, war disabled and single mothers. These distributions currently benefit approximately 25,000 people. Supplies are largely obtained externally at present, but it is desirable to source them in-country wherever possible, both for cost-effectiveness and to stimulate the local economy. World Vision will purchase the first season's honey production from the
in 1991 the Limbe Project Forest Conservation Programme started training 20 beekeepers from villages in South West Province. Due to popular demand this training was followed up with three more courses in three different villages the following year. Participation was strictly limited to residents of host villages which ensured the participants were interested to learn. On average about ten people were trained in each village and most have continued with beekeeping.
The first organised honey harvest was in 1992, a year after training began, with a yield of 76 ke of honey. At this time we had 41 beekeepers and 66 active hives. By March 1993 179 kg of honey were harvested by 48 beekeepers from 34 hives. A further 50 hives were unoccupied. Since the programme started we have constructed 112 hives, although 28 are not yet in use due to a lack of top-bars. The Project is simply helping people who are interested to produce honey. The honey belongs entirely to the beekeepers. Mount Cameroon Echo, 1994 Mr Alot Michael explains about harvesting honey from
a
top-bar hive during the North West Beefarmers’ Association training tour of Cameroon. The tour was supported with
funding from
HELVETAS, Switzerland
beekeepers and use it to substitute for part of the imported sugar now included in relief distributions. N PACH
The beekeeping season in Bosnia begins in the second half of April. The main production of
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MZEKA
honey will be in May, ending in July/August. This will be processed and distributed as relief supplies by the end of September 1995. A Bees for Development publication
