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A farmer
with his traditional bee hive
ready to be used |
South
Darfur is known as a troubled region
beset by years of endemic conflict,
poverty, destruction of natural
resources, and deterioration of
livelihoods. However, the land is
also a dynamic region that defies
its popular conception as intractably
and inevitably conflict-ridden.
Recently, new projects being implemented
by the UNDP Darfur Livelihoods Recovery
Programme are slowly but surely
changing that view.
Although there are no natural honeybee
populations in South Darfur, today
beekeeping has become a viable means
of economic enhancement for many
farming families. The honey produced
in South Darfur is particularly
favored by an increasingly wide
base of national and regional markets.
Beekeeping has become a profitable
activity undertaken by farmers and
especially vulnerable groups including
youth, internally displaced populations,
ex-combatants and women.
The honey value chain project, which
started in May 2011 and is currently
being undertaken in Kubum, South
Darfur, is part of a bold set of
initiatives laid out by UNDP’s
Darfur Livelihoods Recovery Programme.
The project, implemented in partnership
with local NGO, Rehed el Fursan
Development Network (RDN) works
with different stakeholders, especially
farmers, to identify a suitable
structure to introduce essential
training and methodology. Trainings
delivered have focused on how to
inspect and manage bee hives sustainably
and how to improve handling and
quality of the honey produced.
A start-up grant of one thousand
traditional beehives was provided
to the beekeepers’ associations.
The hives were distributed to clusters
of beekeepers, who in turn share
collective responsibility of the
hives throughout the stages of manufacturing,
production, and harvest. This cluster
management not only fosters collective
production and marketing but also
encourages community ownership and
builds trust amongst the people.
Progress has been remarkable. The
number of members in beekeeping
associations has risen from nearly
60 in May 2011 to 1050 in March
2012, which shows just how strong
the interest and commitment is amongst
the community. It is estimated that
five thousand families currently
benefit from the project.
In an isolated community like Kubum,
the use and availability of local
materials to make traditional hives
has helped and encouraged villagers
to get involved in the beekeeping
business thus providing them with
an additional income.
Today the project holds a regular
fair in Kubum to welcome new farmers
to techniques and management of
beekeeping. The fairs provide a
vital opportunity to promote an
enabling business environment to
market and exchange ideas and experiences
amongst local producers. A planned
mission in September 2012 will see
a group of producers led by the
Ministry of Agriculture and Animal
Resources participate in the ApiExpo
Africa International Beekeeping
Event in Addis Ababa to share their
unique experiences.
The case of the Kubum beekeeping
producers in South Darfur is a prime
example of how appropriate technology
and adapted interventions carried
out together with national and local
partners can generate help, decrease
poverty, encourage micro-entrepreneurship
and foster the rebuilding of relations
between communities even in the
most unlikely places. For the beekeepers
of Kubum and their families and
friends, their new livelihoods never
tasted so sweet.
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To
make traditional hives, farmers
weaved local thatch together
and hardened it with dung
and mud. |
This
project has been made possible through
the generous support of the
Government
of Switzerland and
the United
States Agency for International
Development (USAID)/Office
of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA).
For a video from Sudan TV on the
beekeeping activities in Kubum:
youtube.com/watch?v=b3Kdw4AErpA
For more photos of the beekeepers
in action: http://flic.kr/p/cvakJh
For more information please contact:
Ariel Rubin, Public Information
Officer UNDP: ariel.rubin@undp.org
http://www.sd.undp.org/ar%20stories/2012/Ar-Story005.pdf
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