Presented by Tilahun Gebey at the 19th Ethiopian Society of Animal production Annual Conference, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 15-17 December 2011.

1. Apiculture value chain development
based on experiences of IPMS and
partners.
Tilahun Gebey
Presented at the 19th Ethiopian Society of
Animal production Annual Conference
15-17 December 2011

2. Presentation outline:
1. Apiculture sites
2. Main diagnostic findings
3. Main value chain interventions
4. Impact
5. Challenges/lessons learnt

3. 1. Apiculture sites
Apiculture site
1. Adaa
2. Alaba
3. Atsibi
4. Bure
5. Fogera
6. Goma

4. 2. Main diagnostic findings
 Farmers and traders recognized the
market potential for honey
production. Market price less
affected by quality,
 Inadequate knowledge and skills on
commercial apiculture production
systems among value chain actors
and service providers,
 Traditional beekeeping was mans
job, women unfriendly beekeeping
and honey harvesting .

5. 2. Main diagnostic findings…
 Past development strategies focused
on introduction of frame hives and less
emphasis;
 bee management skill and
 bee forage development,
 the occupancy rates was very low,
 Input and service supply system for
improved apiculture was insufficient,
 Weak linkages between farmers, other
value chain actors and service
providers
 Lack of documentation

6. 3. Main value chain interventions
Agricultural extension
Skills development
 Practical training conducted for husband and wife on
bee colony management, proper placing
apiaries, harvesting and becolony dearth period mgnt
etc
 Field days conducted for scaling out
 Training manuals developed and used in wider.
Knowledge management
 www.eap.gov.et. ,
 Study tours organized,
 Facilitated thesis research,
 Video production,
Linkage value chain actors
 linkages created for input supply and marketing
 Honey value chain platform formed

7. 3. Main value chain interventions….
Input supply
 Involve small scale
carpenters, bee keepers hives
making,
 Involve cooperative and private
shops in the sale of beekeeping
equipment,
 Increase supply of bee colonies by
splitting techniques,
 Credit accessed for beekeeping
private shop.

8. 3. Main value chain interventions…
Production
 Introductions of Modern and topbar
hives technologies based on:
 market demand,
 cost/benefit consideration,
 Availabilities of honey extractors
 Improving the availability of
beeforage development through:
 various intervention:
 plantation of multipurpose bee forages,
 rehabilitation of grazing areas,
 Hillside closure site
 Better hive management as a result
of keeping beehives near to the
residences or Backyard.

9. 3. Main value chain interventions….
Processing /marketing
 Stimulate cooperatives and private
sector partners to develop village level
honey extracting
 Honey from improved hives is a new
product, which requites a new
market, predominantly outside the
District.
 New market channels have to be
developed to link Districts with large
urban centers and exporters.
 Credit facilitated for processing
equipment purchase.

10. 4. Results of household
Parameter Traditional Beehive Low-cost Top-bar Beehive Frame Type Beehive
Very cheap, Every Cheap, probably those people Very expensive, always made by
material for the hive is who couldn’t manufacture carpentor. Morethan 1,500 Birr
Cost of hive locally available, strong precision top bar need to
skill exist purchase. Up to 120 Birr
cost
No need of sophisticated Top-bar hive management Highly dependent on very expensive
equipment needs protective clothing more accessory equipment,: honey extractor;
Accessorie than the traditional hive since it casting moulds; protective clothing etc.
s is opened more than the
traditional hive
Fixed comb – difficult to Moveable comb – easy to Moveable comb – easy to inspect and
Comb inspect, & harvesting inspect and harvesting doesn’t harvesting doesn’t kill bees. Much better
manageme many bees & the brood kill bees and damage brood. than Topbar
nt are killed.
Colonies can be easily Swarm control and/or queen rearing
Swarm
Impossible reproduced by simple colony techniques is possible and highly
control
splitting techniques. developed &commercialised.
Easy as the comb is moveable Easy to select and remove. 25kg and
Benefit
and doesn’t need further more pure honey/hive/season.
extractor unless it is needed.
Honey Difficult to harvest as the 18kg hive/season.
production comb is fixed type and low
Honey harvest will remain Honey harvest will remain consistent, as
and quality quality. 5-7kg/hive
consistent, as the content of the content of the hive undamaged during
the hive is not damaged during harvesting.
harvesting.
Up to one kilogram More than one kilogram per Very minimum, in fact wax is an input into
Beeswax harvest per year year frame hives, although bees will add to it.
Other All types oh honey products;
products No experience Proplis, propolis, royal jelly,

11. 4. Results of household ….
Input supply:
 Multiplication of bee colonies by some honey producers
has started in Atsbi, Fogera, Bure and Alaba,
 It was observed that some trained farmers in Bure also
passed their newly acquired skills to neighboring
farmers,
 Hive making by local carpenters and/or farmers is on-
going in Goma, Fogera, Bure and Alaba.
 Supply of foundation sheets in Goma as a business is
on-going as an alternative ways of input supply

12. 5. Results of household ….
 Small-scale private processing with locally made honey
extractors is working very well in Goma where there is more
Frame type hive distributed,
 Providing honey extraction services to other farmers as business
Birr 50/night or Birr 10/hive.
 Gender: traditionally, beekeeping is mans job due to hives kept
on tree, and risky while harvesting. But now women involvement
is high as a result of backyard beekeeping approach,
 Environment: Apiculture is known for its positive interaction
with other farm activities through pollination of various planted
crops, which increase fruit and seed setting.

13. 6. Impact selected across IPMS PLWs
Year of production
2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10
Parameters
No. of HH producing honey 1,745 2,315 3,494 3,963 5,074
No. of modern hives - - - - 13,452
No. of modern hives
occupied with colony 2,659 3,408 6,460 7,738 8,266
Total production (kg) 155,730 172,381 239,913 226,233 348,785
Average price (Birr/kg) 20.04 26.23 31.32 34.85 49.34
Volume sold (kg/year) 0 0 0 0 329,106
Total revenue (Birr) 3,120,819 4,521,209 7,514,555 7,883,315 17,208,335
Proportion of HH selling
Honey to those producing
(%) 91.9 94.71 95.05 93.37 85.62

14. 6. Impact selected across IPMS PLWs
9,000 20,000,000
8,000 18,000,000
7,000 16,000,000
14,000,000
6,000
Total Revenue
12,000,000
5,000
10,000,000
4,000
8,000,000
3,000
6,000,000
2,000 4,000,000
1,000 2,000,000
- 0 0 0 0 329,106 -
2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10
No. of HH producing honey No. of modern hives occupied with bee colony
Total honey production (kg) Volume sold (kg/year)
Total revenue (Birr)

15. 6. Apiculture lesson learnt/challenges
 Management of bee forage resources with change in land
use, cereals domination
 Intensive use of pesticides and herbicide, use of
environmental friendly chemical/practices,
 Alternative input supply system required additional
attention
 Some of innovation activities not scaled out as we
anticipated,
 Honey collection/processing/selling
 Cooperative not properly managing,
 Private entrepreneurs not entering
 Linkages with larger scale commercial firms not efficient

16. Thank you