Bees for Development Journal
72
NEWS AROUND THE WORLD
NEWS AROUND THE WORLD CAMEROON Bee House opens The first ever Bee House (indoor apiary) in Cameroon went operational in March at Bonakanda Village. The Bee House was promoted by BOBEEFAG, a Common Initiative Group with the primary aim of producing high quality honey, beeswax and propolis to meet the ever-increasing demand for these products.
The Bee House can accommodate up to 40 top-bar hives
Since its creation in 1998, BOBEEFAG has assisted forest honey hunters with training on how to continue their traditional occupation using methods that avoid decimating the bee population and forest by use of fire. BOBEEFAG has given itself the challenge of alleviating poverty within Mount Cameroon Region by improving on the traditional use of honey and its products for food and medicines.
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all carefully numbered of course!
use top-bar hives. Amongst the guest speakers at the Ceremony were the Co-ordinator of Mount Cameroon Project (MCP), and also Dr Elad from the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ Buea) who spoke about the importance of honey and its products. Mr Dalman, local representative of the Netherlands Management Cooperation Programme was extremely interested in the exhibition and the production of honey, beeswax, propolis and honey wine.
his welcome address Mr Lyonga Mbake Samuel, BOBEEFAG Delegate, said that with better methods of honey production they will preserve biodiversity and conserve the environment. Mr Lyonga went on fo say that the Bee House will serve as a demonstration and research centre, as well as a training centre. In
With very little support BOBEEFAG has created history in Cameroon as a whole, and in Mount Cameroon Region in particular (for over 10 years, MCP/GTZ have spent a good sum of money without positive results). Hopefully, other groups will copy BOBEEFAG. After the exhibition, there was a short walk the Bee House where Dr Elad declared the new venture offici open. °
Before the Opening Ceremony, there was an exhibition of both local and didactic materials, including BfDJ in a display of BOBEEFAG's Information Service. Mr Lyonga explained that they started out using the ‘National Cavity’ or log hive and now
GUATEMALA Swords into ploughshares
A few years ago, Eucebio Figueroa, President of Nuevo Horizonte Cooperative in the northern department of El Petén, was the leader of armed rebels. The Co-operative was founded in 1998 by veterans of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, who fought in Guatemala's 36year-long civil war. The former leftist guerrillas who run the 900-hectare farm are working with the Inter-American Development Bank to improve their business management. More than 400 people live in the community, which has its own day care centre, kindergarten . and elementary school. The main activities carried out are planting staple
Lyonga Mbake Samuel, BOBEEFAG
crops - corn and beans - and growing Caribbean pines as part of a reforestation programme. Other businesses include growing decorative palm trees known as xate, baking bread, and... keeping honeybees. Peter Bate, reporting in IDB News 2004
KENYA |
was working in Uganda as a
VSO Volunteer and received
BfDJ through the organisation was attached to. This support was useful and hence when moved to head a similar organisation in Kenya | felt it should also benefit from your information. We are happy that you are supporting our programmes in East |
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Africa. The sponsorship will go a long way in ensuring that information on beekeeping is well shared with needy community projects. We recently carried out a survey on the potential for honey in Marigat Division in Baringo, with the aim of assisting farmers develop their incomes from quality honey. We found out that honey production is high in the
area, and if well harnessed some export of this commodity could be achieved. We are planning two training courses, each of three days, on beekeeping and ecotourism. We wish to receive Bees for Development Trust workshop information and to contact other supporters. Breta Kanyua Niagi, Programme Officer
