In Gabiley district (45 km west of Hargeisa) IPRT conducted, August 2018 to January
2019, a six months training in beekeeping carried out within the Youth Employment
and Business Support Program, funded by United States African Development
Foundation (USADF).
20 farmers had been selected among 120 applicants as beneficiaries of the project participated so that they could be taught with knowledge and skills for proper beekeeping. The colonies of bees managed in the farms, in fact, increase flower pollination, effectively improving the yield. Moreover, the harvesting and sale of honey and other products can potentially provide additional income for the farmers themselves.
Hassan Alifle along Mohamed Daud, IPRT’s trainers reported:
The participants received general information on the role of bees in biodiversity conservation and on their ability to pollinate wild plants: the seeds produced this way are developed in new plants that grow and renew forests. We then talked about how to take care of the bees to allow them to provide the six basic products: honey, virgin wax, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and poison. The trainees were given practical lessons on how to make beehives, using locally made materials. The trainees were also been given basic bookkeeping, marketing, interpersonal and team-building skills. Finally, the trainees were given one beehive for each trainee, while ten of the trainees has been attached to two of the most popular honey farms in the region; Saliim Honey Products and Malab-maal (five for each company), where they had secured employment.
Bashir Aybakar 27 years old, a father of three, has been jobless since he finished the
high school. He has been one of the lucky candidates who have been selected among
dozens of youth who applied for the training in the beekeeping training. “I was never
expecting such opportunity to come right infront of my door” Said Bashiir, who was
proudly standing between his beehives.
“My parents have a piece of land, because of the recurrent droughts and the
economic hardships I’d able to harvest. Thanks for the training IPRT has given
me, now I become self-sufficient. I support my family of four and I see myself an
important person who can contribute something to the community in general.”
Bashir said.
Bashir now owns five beehives and also invented a queen-capture by using a recycled
plastic rods. The equipment is imported from china but he was the first person who
invented a locally made queen-capture. IPRT has already trying to train all the other
trainees on how to make their own to have more beehives and their honey production to
grow.
The trainees had come from 7 villages, which were: Botor, Yelda, Qalax, Jar-iska-xoor,
Gorey, Mataan and Beyo-qalocan.
The entire program was very much appreciated by the participants, who declared
themselves satisfied with what had been thought and interested in deepening the
techniques of beekeeping in the future.