RETHINKING BEEKEEPING DEVELOPMENT IN EAST AFRICA

摘要

Over 50 years of attempts to improve the livelihoods of small-scale landholders in East Africa through beekeeping development projects have had limited success. These efforts have mainly involved the introduction of equipment (moveable-comb frame hives) and management techniques designed for European honey bees in temperate climates. The techniques are based on economies of scale; practices now under scrutiny for their potential contribution to declining honey bee populations in the EU and USA (Potts, 2010; vanEngelsdorp & Meixner, 2010). Strong evidence suggests that this approach in East Africa has been largely unsuccessful because 95% of the honey produced in Kenya still comes from traditional, local-style hives (Raina, 2007). Attempts to introduce top-bar hives in the Baringo District have been unsuccessful, reportedly due to lack of training (Gichora 2003), and among beekeepers who have been introduced to Langstroth frame hives, the number they keep typically decreases overtime in favour of log hives {personal communication E. Muli).