Beekeeping for Sustainable Rural Livelihood in Ondo State, Nigeria

1. Beekeeping for Sustainable Rural Livelihood in Ondo State, Nigeria Eunice Olayinka Atanda

2. Outline of Presentation Background and Introduction Project Justification  Goal Purpose Objectives Target Beneficiaries Methodology Work Plan  Inputs required

3. Outline Cont’d • Budget Summary • Expected results (outputs) • Sustainability

4. Background and Introduction • Nigeria's economy characterized by large rural agricultural based traditional sector • In the rural areas are small- scale farmers limited by low income • Ondo State is one of the thirty-six (36) States in Nigeria, comprises of 18 local govt areas with an area of 14,769 square kilometre • By 2006 census, recorded a population of 3, 441,014 million

5. Background and Introduction Cont’d • Majority of Nigerians as well as Ondo state live in the rural areas, women constitute a higher percentage than men • Women are poorer than men because of their positions and unequal relations in the society • Lack of access to credit and where credits are made available the semi-rich take advantage • Lack of access to factors of production to boost agricultural productivity(land and capital) • Lack of access to economic resources ( monetary and non-monetary income)

6. Project Justification • Enormous agricultural & agro-based opportunities in the rural areas to generate income and employment but not fully tapped • Widespread and severity of poverty leading to difficult socio- economic problems • Beekeeping has been identified a viable agriculture practice that could alleviate poverty and sustain rural employment in Nigeria • Beekeeping is a useful means of strengthening livelihoods

7. Project Justification Cont’d • Fits in well with other activities and not gender sensitive • Ensures the continuation of natural assets through pollination of wild and cultivated plants • The vegetation of Ondo State is a blessing to beekeeping, reduces cost of artificial feed • The climatic condition is favourable with prolonged flowering season from September to April yearly • Beekeeping opportunity has not been fully exploited due lack of proper skill, support, and financial strength, information on bee pest and diseases

8. Project Description • Goal • To contribute to poverty reduction in rural areas of Ondo State by promoting beekeeping as a sustainable livelihood •  Overall Purpose • To enhance household income through beekeeping activities

9. Objectives • To improve the standard of living of rural poor communities of Ondo State through sale of bee products • To reduce level of unemployment among the youth, women and physically challenged through beekeeping • To improve quality of bee products through introduction of improved beekeeping methods and equipments

10. Objectives Cont’d • To improve the marketing of bee products by organising collection centres, access to credit, packaging and marketing skills • To conduct research on bee species • To conduct feasibility study on the effects of bee pests and diseases on bee population and provide control measures

11. Women, youth and the physically challenged Have low income levels and are marginalized economically Lack access to critical resources: land, credit facilities, education and technology Women are hardly empowered and excluded from decision making about resource allocations Many female headed household Target Beneficiaries

12. Target Beneficiaries Cont’d • Female youths from such families go into prostitution which makes them vulnerable to HIV/AIDS • Male youths engage themselves in drugs and armed robbery • Disabled people face difficulties in earning sufficient income and remain dependent on a caring family and the society around them • In poor communities , physically challenged are marginalized and forgotten, and may lose confidence in themselves

13. Methodology • Initially the project will focus on six local areas • 5 people in each of the six local areas will be trained to train others in areas like: • good hive management • good record keeping • observation of bees and their behavior • hygienic honey extraction techniques • diversification of bee products and marketing skills • Then 20 people per local area • Beekeeping equipments shall be distributed to every trainee at a subsidized rate

14. Methodology Cont’d • The project will be based upon a participatory approach to improve implementation of activities and enhance productivity in the sector

15. How each objective will be achieved Improving standard of living of the rural poor through beekeeping • diversify products from beekeeping through value additions to create a wide income base • purchase of equipment and train target groups on how to produce and market honey and other by-products • form beekeeping associations to access market in an organized manner Reduce level of unemployment among youth, women and less privileged • train target groups to produce and sale honey and other bee products • employ people in packaging and marketing honey at the established bee products processing plant at the FHG

16. How each objective will be achieved Improve quantity and quality of bee products • Use of modern equipment and harvesting methods • Set minimum standards for processing and handling honey and other bee products • Organization of study tours (internal and regional) for beekeepers and related interests • Improve harvesting of honey

17. How each objective will be achieved Improve marketing of bee products • Facilitate creation of brand for the bee products • Form cooperatives to access the market as one entity • Ensure proper labelling of bee products • Improve communication facilities for easy access to market • Research will be conducted in collaboration with the communities, local university and research institutions as well as with relevant universities outside the country Conduct feasibility study on the effects of bee pests and diseases on bee population and provide control measures • Small Hive Beetles (SHB), wax moth and ants identified as the greatest threat to the bee population

18. Work Plan Major component of the work plan • Awareness and stakeholder analysis and formation of beekeepers into groups/associations • Training of beekeepers • Distribution of hives to beekeepers in the selected local areas • Organization of study tours/ exchange visits (internal and regional) for beekeepers

19. Work Plan • Conducting study on honey production to identify potentials and constraints to be further addressed • Building capacity of extension staff from government and NGOs in beekeeping through training • Conducting a baseline marketing study to establish the current situation on bee products • Facilitate establishment of a central bee products processing plant at the FHG

20. Inputs Required • Beekeeping equipment • Transport • Beekeeping skills, training and extension • Financial resources- credit • Social resources- sector support and marketing

21. Budget Summary Project Budget for two years: ₦ 11,132,000 or €69,575

22. Expected Results (Outputs) • Percentage increase in real household income in the project impact area • through sale of honey and other bee products, the target group will earn some income • Improved quantity and quality of bee products • with the trainings and exchange visits, the target group will improve the production level and the quality of honey

23. Expected Results (Outputs) • Reduction in unemployment levels for the youths, women and the physically challenged • Marketing skills for bee products improved • this will enable the beekeeper to get good reward in terms of income from beekeeping and therefore motivated to expand the activity • Extension services delivery on beekeeping information to farmers improved • the adoption of the improved methods of beekeeping will depend on the successful delivery of extension services to the beekeepers. Most often findings from research hardly reach the beekeeper and it is expected that improvement on extension services will solve such problems.

24. Sustainability • Formation of cooperative society where a percentage of income realized from sale of bee products shall be deposited • Any person wishing to go for beekeeping will access credit to purchase the basic equipment for the activity

25. Remember ‘If the honeybee disappeared from the earth, man would only have four years left to live. No bees, no pollination, no plants, no animals, no people’…… Albert Einstein