Studies on Status of Apiculture in Gida Ayana District, Eastern Wollega Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia.
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2019-04-04
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Eastern Wollega zone is one of the Oromia regional state‟s zones with high potential of honey and bee wax production. This study was initiated and conducted in Gida Ayana district, Eastern Wollega zone, Oromia Regional State, from September to July 2011E.C with main objective of the study was to assess current status of apiculture and challenges in honey production to come up with possible mitigation strategies in the development of honey production in the study area. Gida Ayana district is blessed with natural resources that create favorable conditions to undertake apiculture activities and upraise the district to one of the potential district for apiculture sub-sectors; but the district still could not harvest this existing potential to the required amount. Because of different problems that limit apiculture in honey production activities in the district. In order to address these objectives Questionnaires, interviews and observation methods were used to collect primary data and secondary data. Using a purposive sampling technique, six kebeles were selected purposely depending on variations in agro-ecology (high, mid and lowlands) and honey production potential. About 167 households responded to the questionnaires and some of the apiculturist households and Livestock and fishery development office experts were interviewed. The data were organized according to relevant research question and analyzed quantitative and qualitative by using Microsoft Office excel 2010 software, IBM SPSS Statistics 21 software. The result of the study showed that honey production activity was mainly undertaken by 31-50 age group (73.9%) people in the study area, majority of the apiculturists about (60.8%) attended the primary school, about (20%) of the respondents did not attend formal education in their life but they took informal adult education and they write and read only in minor and about (19.2%) attended secondary school and above. Therefore most of the apiculturists were able to read and write. Education encourages apiculturist‟s ability to access and use information relevant to honey production activities and creating more attitudes in transforming current status of apiculture to modern hive utility with more credit service and uneducated one limit the effectiveness of the product in modern honey production in the less credit service, again male (100%) on traditional hives where taboos for females climbing of long trees, male (94.6%) and females (5.4%) for modern hives biased to male. From the result of this study the main limiting factors that affect current status of apiculture together in honey production mentioned by respondents were ants, termites, traditional technology with less utility of modern hives, lack of proper management for bees and hives, use of insecticide/herbicide, deforestation, decline of bee colonies, shortage of bee food, improper harvesting time. The limiting factors identified in the study wereda traditional hives, lack of training on honey production, improper placement of hives, lack of support for the apiculturists and plant species poisonous such as white pear (Apodytes dimidiate), Euphorbia catinifolia, Justica schimperiana, Nicotinia rustica and African soapberry (Phytolacca dodecandra) to bee were also the limiting factors in current status of apiculture of honey production in the district in which use of insecticide/herbicide was the most determinant. To protect the limiting factors in the current status of apiculture the apiculturists use different traditional indigenous knowledge to overcome possibly the problems. It was recommended that apiculturists were able to alleviate the limiting factors in current status of apiculture through training, by using modern hives and modernization techniques of apiculture, properly manage and place bee hives for ease of inspection, planting bee forage, choosing site of apiary far away from or limited with Apodytes dimidiata and red flower from the area, conservation of plants and by using the available resource effectively after the finding of the study result.
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Studies on Status, Apiculture, Gida Ayana District, Eastern Wollega Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia