Bees/vr Development Journal 80
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THE BIRTH OF ITUMBAUZO BEEKEEPERS ASSOC IATION Polly UK Eaton,
Itumbauzo is a kingdom in a rural part of Abia State, south east Nigeria. in hilly vegetation one hour from the nearest town.
Villages are nestled
Most people live in clay dwellings and sustain themselves through farming. There is also small-scale palm oil processing, logging and some cocoa farms: the latter bring little income due to the low price of
cocoa. The prospects for local youth are limited and most expect to continue with subsistence farming, with little additional income. For three years have lived at Amaudo, a rehabilitation community. The |
nearby village, Moukwa, was the donor of land for Amaudo. attended one of their regular Youth Association meetings and presented my |
proposal to train a group in beekeeping.
Tropical differences Although honey was a much desired product, beekeeping was not practised in the area and it was a revelation for the people that they could 'keep bees’. The suggestion was eagerly accepted and four trainees were nominated by the Association - another two joined from other villages. The first task was to find local expertise: my experience of beekeeping in London was not adequate preparation for tropical
beekeeping. turned to Bees for Development, (an organisation had admired and supported for many years), who put me in touch with Israel Onyemaechi, an entrepreneurial beekeeper based in Umuahia. realised |
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that local management methods involved much less manipulation and handling of the colonies and bees than was used to. Queen rearing
israel Onyemaechi runs Davicon Honey Bees and Apitherapy Ventures in Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria
and re-queening were not practised. Despite the reputation of the ‘defensive’ African bee. felt safe in my protective clothing.
Starting out
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Funds were raised by our friends overseas who were invited to ‘buy a nive' or ‘equip a beekeeper’. Gradually each member of the project was supplied with five hives and basic equipment of smoker, hive tool, and-
clothing (vei!, garment and boots). We started using a mixture of frame, standard and long top-bar hives, so the beekeepers could gain experience and see which design was best suited to their environment. The main method for acquiring colonies in this area is to bait the hive with honey or bee plants every few days, and wait for a swarm to arrive.
Hive making In
further efforts to ensure the sustainability of the project we organised
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By ihe end of the two-day workshop, all members of the project had constructed hive and were delighted with the experience. a
Training Israel explains: "Polly was given my email address by BfD, and we arranged to meet at my home. The first meeting with Polly and her husband that day was quite thrilling and interesting, and led to our collaboration to start up the beekeeping project in Itumbauzo. Weekly
training sessions began in May 2005. The training involved practical and that took us to Davicon the apiaries Honeybees sessions of Ventures, and included videos of other beekeeping Apitherapy
activities’.
Israel is passionate about beekeeping and conveyed his belief that: "Beekeeping is one of the ventures that can be practised by anyone who is interested, regardless of academic background and gender".
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POL EAIG,
a Hive making workshop. Timber is readily available in Itumbauzo one beekeeper was already trying to construct his own hives. Two
facilitators taught basic carpentry skills, and designs were given for top-bar hives and a swarm catcher box.
Forming an association The trainee beekeepers were encouraged to formalise themselves as a group. This would help them to support each other as well as being a strong voice for honey marketing and beekeeping in the area. The itumbauzo Beekeepers’ Association was formed and a constitution
developed. The Association was donated a small piece of land in Mbukwa village, to build a store and house for harvesting. The group also have plans to involve more members of the community through a ~ simple ‘buddy’ training system each beekeeper has a helper who them and is accompanies gradually trained in practical skills. By the end of 2006, 10 of the 30 of the hives were occupied and we look forward to a good harvest this year!
Polly Eaton is a British occupational therapist with Amaudo ltumbauzo, a charity working with homeless, mentally ill people based in a rural part of Abia State, south-east Nigeria. Polly returned to the UK in March 2006, and will send us further news when the Association's honey
factory a bee safe room for pressing and bottling honey is established.
