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THE ROLE OF WOMEN, AND
INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
IN
ETHIOPIAN BEEKEEPING Kerealem Ejigu, Andassa Livestock Research Centre, Bahir Dar; Nuru Adgaba, Holeta Bee Research Centre and Wagayehu Bekele, Department of Agricultural Economics,
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Alemaya University, Ethiopia Ris
Beekeeping is an important activity for many rural people - both men and women - and is carried out in home gardens and houses all
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over Ethiopia. Traditionally, there are no cultural taboos that forbid the involvement of women in beekeeping. However, women’s participation is often little or
non-existent. Therefore, the promotion of income-generating activities for women and their role in beekeeping raises interesting issues. When we explore the possibility of promoting beekeeping amongst Ethiopian
women, the first step is to discover the factors that limit them from keeping bees. many parts of Ethiopia there are local beekeepers who are highly respected for their skills in handling honey bees. Though Ethiopian beekeepers have rich indigenous knowledge, as Fichtl and Addi (1994) In
indicated, skills and knowledge are transferred from one generation to the next and only improved by trial and error: biological knowledge is confined to immediate observations and repeated experience.
Materials and methods This study was conducted in Enebse and Amaro. The town of Enebse, Mertule Mariam, is 370 km northwest of Addis Ababa, at an altitude of 2,400 m. The town of Amaro, Kelle, is 478 km south of Addis Ababa, at an altitude of 1,850 m. Ninety beekeeper farmers were chosen by random sampling techniques. Both primary and secondary sources of data were used in this study. The primary data for the year 2003/04 were collected from sample
respondents during October-November 2004 through a semi-structured questionnaire. This was designed to generate data on some social, institutional, and economic variabies. Secondary data were obtained from various sources. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data.
According to this survey, no women beekeepers were found in Amaro. In Enebse female beekeepers were interviewed, but their numbers were limited. The results of this survey indicate that in Enebse, 6.7% of the beekeepers are women (Table 1). 1.
Female
Male
Number
%
| 100.0
0
0.0
93.3
3
6.7
Number
%
Number
Amaro
45
100
45
Enebse
45
100
42
ee
Wubit, one of the few woman beekeepers in Enebse. Amhara Region, can
construct top-bar hives.
The reasons given for low or non-existence of the participation by women were: women are afraid of bees and wild animals; they cannot
climb trees; beekeeping is considered a ‘man's occupation’. Moreover, as with other economic activities, the traditional ways of living restrict women to carrying out domestic activities close to the homestead, and this hinders women from keeping bees. Even though men are mostly involved in beekeeping activities, women commonly use the products of beekeeping in making secondary
products. For example, the important industry of ‘tej’ (honey wine) making in Ethiopia is run by women. Elsewhere in Africa it is often women who brew and sell honey beer (Bradbear, 2002). Women also play a role in the honey selling in Enebse, but this was not common in Amaro. According to an Agri-Service Ethiopia, Amaro Integrated Food Security Program (ASE AIFSP 2002) base line survey, in Amaro, the selling of coffee, food crops, livestock and honey were predominant, carried out by men, although in some cases there was consultation with their wives. Women’s decisions were limited to selling hens and eggs, milk and butter, and Ensete veniricosum products.
The Ethiopian Government and NGOs encourage women’s participation in rural development. ASE provided material and technical assistance for a women’s group to be given training in basic beekeeping. They
%
Some of the women undertake the beekeeping activities confidently. However, a few women beekeepers interviewed in Enebse explained that they had become dependent on assistance from men for colony transfer, queen catching, and harvesting the crop. These management activities are also a problem for men who are beginner beekeepers. ASE and other developmental organisations could have been more successful if the women were given both theoretical and practical
Gender of beekeepers in the study areas
Place | Total
ve
were encouraged to construct top-bar hives and to make beekeeping tools and veils.
The role of women in beekeeping
Table
##
training in basic beekeeping methods and supplied with affordable and appropriate beekeeping technology in the form of top-bar hives with full accessories and protective clothing. This may be one step towards helping women to generate income in the rural areas. In addition, the
placement of hives suitable for women to use has to be developed and tested with users in local conditions.
