News

CAMEROON

Apicuiture in Mount Cameroon Region

Bonakanda-Bova Beefarmers’ Group {BOBEEFAG) is a Common Initiative Group located in the Mount Cameroon Region (MCR), an ecotourism area rich in biodiversity, in South West Province. The Region hosts 77 villages and covers 3,200 km2, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to Mount Cameroon, at 4,095 m the highest peak in West and Central Africa with an active volcano. The rich volcanic soil is very good for agricultural activities and supports wide biodiversity.

The Mount Cameroon Project and German Agency for Technical Cooperation MCP/GTZ identified BOBEEFAG as a resource group that could provide services to other groups and individual honey hunters around Mount Cameroon. After MCP closed their doors some years ago, GTZ took over sponsorship of BOBEEFAG during national and international events. Participation in these events helps us interact with business partners, create acquaintances, and increase awareness of the importance of bees and beekeeping. At the Limbé Atlantic Trade Fair in 2006, BOBEEFAG had a stall exhibiting honey, other bee products, local style and frame hives, tools used in beekeeping and bee friendly plants. Posters provided by Bees for Development were used in our display.

During the Fair, the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), PECTEN, Bees Abroad and Tropical Forest Products organised a Honey Marketing Forum. The 3-day Forum was for all stakeholders in the honey chain to exchange ideas. The national honey market is perceived as vague and disorganised: the various actors in the chain are not known to each other and information is not flowing efficiently between them. For example while producers in the North West struggle to sell enough honey, retailers and wholesalers in the South West are struggling to meet local! demand. The regional export market remains largely unexploited, mainly because the requirements of quantity and quality are not met.

It is easier and cheaper to colonise a hive than to construct one. It is not a hive that produces the honey but the bees found inside it.

Swarming periods and the bee population vary according to climatic conditions. Studies have proved that in MCR, a top-bar hive measuring 80 x 45cm, with an active colony produces 10-12 litres of honey per crop season. By comparison in North West Province 18-20 litres of honey may be harvested from the same size top-bar hive.

All our attempts to acquire beekeeping equipment from national and international organisations have failed. However the potential for honey production and success in beekeeping development projects are high. BOBEEFAG is calling on interested organisations to support us.

Lyonga Mbake Samuel, BOBEEFAG, Bota-Limbé

HAITI

World Challenge Finalists

The Paradis des Indiens Project has been chosen as one of the 12 finalists in the World Challenge 2007. The Project was begun in a one roam school in the small village of Les Abricots by Canadian Michaelle de Verteuil. She set up the school especially for children whose families could not afford uniforms and shoes — without which they were unable to attend Haiti's ordinary schools. Thirty years later, Paradis de Indiens has expanded into amulti-faceted development programme. Poverty reduction activities include beekeeping, embroidery, woodworking and fruit drying. Environmental efforts are focussed on reforestation — a key priority for tree-stripped Haiti.

World Challenge 2007 seeks out projects and businesses that not only make a profit, but also put something back into the community. From 6 October to 16 November 2007 all finalists will be on their website for you to vote. Seewww.theworldchallenge.co.uk/

NEPAL

Gandaki Bee Concern

The idea of starting a beekeeping business came to Dev Bahadur Gurung, Executive Director of Gandaki Bee Concern when he was in the Indian army and deployed in Punjab in 1977. “Frame hive technology had just been introduced and I was fascinated by the way it generated self-employment opportunities. Immediately after I retired and returned to Nepal in 1991, jumped into the business. At that time only four firms were in existence and the concept of frame hive beekeeping was still new. Despite my intentions to start with 150 hives, I could manage only 17 hives in the beginning”. We harvest 250 tonnes of honey every year from 18,000 colonies of Apis mellifera, which are kept by beekeepers in different parts of the country, mainly Dang and Bardiya. This provides employment for 900 people. A farmer harvests an average of 60 kg of honey from a hive and receives Rs110 (€1.3; US$1.7) per kg. We provide free training to people interested in beekeeping. Since our programme started in 1997 we have trained 2,500 people, 63% of whom are currently beekeeping. To promote the business and to assure the beekeepers of a market, we sign agreements with them guaranteeing to buy back the honey they harvest. We also provide updates about new technologies and teach how to maintain quality in order to reap maximum benefits.

It is estimated that 23,000 farmers are beekeeping producing 1,000 tonnes of honey every year. Our export to Europe reached 150 tonnes before we had to stop when the EU introduced new standards in 2002. If the Nepali government could provide technical assistance to the private sector on monitoring pesticides, Nepali honey could find its way to the European markets again. Resumption of exports couldraise employment opportunities by 30% and increase farmers' income four fold

Information provided by Deepak K Rijal. The Kathmandu Post, see www.ekantipur.com

[Ed: The latest on honey legislation and countries whose honey is authorised for import into the EU are at the BFD website Information Centre:www.beesfordevelopment.org/info]

Training with ICIMOD

A 3-day course on bee-based business entrepreneurship was organised jointly by ICIMOD and GTZ in May 2007. 22 bee entrepreneurs representing 18 partner organisations took part. The course covered a range of issues on markets and market opportunities. Some sessions were devoted to exchanging experiences of producing value added products from beeswax such as candles and skin care creams. The participants were also made aware of the importance of honey bees in conserving biodiversity and increasing crop production through pollination.

Min Gurung, www.icimod.org/enews

SIERRA LEONE

In 2006 a colleague and I undertook three weeks of radio talk shows on beekeeping and conservation of biodiversity. The talks were live on United Nations Radio in Freetown. While the talks were on air, the lines were jammed with people wanting to ask questions about bees and beekeeping. I have since increased my interest in beekeeping and have become involved with a greater community mobilisation and education for bees, the environment and people.

Torjia Sahr Karimu, Conservation Society of

Sierra Leone, Freetown

VARROA FOUND IN HAWAII

In early April 2007, a Manoa beekeeper reported what he suspected was a Varroa mite infestation. Hawaii Department of Agriculture subsequently confirmed it and surveys detected the mite around Oahu in managed and feral hives. To date, surveys have been conducted on Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and Hawaii. The mite has not been found on islands other than Oahu.

The Plant Pest Control Branch, Plant Quarantine Branch and the Pesticides Branch have been working with the local bee industry to develop a strategic plan for the containment control and management of the Varroa mite situation in Hawaii.

The goal of the plan is to contro! the mite population to very low levels on Oahu and to prevent the mite from moving to uninfested islands.

www. hawaii. gov