Studies on Factors Affecting Honey Production in Gemechis District of West Hararghe Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia
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Date
2019-08-08
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Ethiopia is one of the largest honey bee populations producing country that has big potential of honey production because of its varied ecological and climatic conditions. This study was designed to investigate factors affecting honey production in Gemechis district of west Hararghe zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Using a purposive sampling technique, four kebeles were selected purposely depending on variations in agro-ecology and honey production potential and cross-sectional research design was used to describe the beekeepers’ characteristics. Primary data were collected from 80 respondents that were randomly and proportionately selected from the four kebeles.
For this study, four kebeles were purposely selected. Primary data were collected from 80 respondents that were randomly and proportionately selected from the four kebeles. To address these objectives questionnaires and interviews were used to collect primary data. The result of the study showed that honey production activity was mainly undertaken by younger age people in the study area. Majority of the beekeepers (35%) of the respondents were illiterate and 3.8% of the respondents were above grade 12. From the results of this study, the main factors affecting honey production according to the respondents were honey badger (38.75%), ants (23.8%), bee eating birds (15%) and monkey (7.5%). The data also revealed that lack of training on honey production and plant poisonous to bee also affected honey production in the district. To minimize these factors, the beekeepers use different indigenous knowledge such as cleaning apiary site, placing white ashes around hive stand, moving honeybee colonies from spraying area and hand weeding. It is recommended that the beekeepers should be thought how to alleviate the factors through training, by using modern hives, planting bee forage, conservation of plants and by using the available resources effectively.
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Factors Affecting, Honey Production, Gemechis District, Oromia Region