Research Article Agri Res & Tech: Open Access J Volume 16 Issue 1 - May 2018 Copyright © All rights are reserved by Getachew Abraham DOI: 10.19080/ARTOAJ.2018.16.555974 Assessment on the Constraints & Practices of Beekeeping, and Post-Harvest Honey Handling in Gesha District, Keffa Zone, South-West Ethiopia Getachew Abraham* Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture Science, Ethiopia Submission: April 07,2018; Published: May 11, 2018 *Corresponding author: Getachew Abraham, Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture Science, Arba-Minch University, Ethiopia, Email: Abstract The study was conducted in Gesha district, Keffa zone, SNNPRS of Ethiopia to assess the current practices & constraints of beekeeping, and post-harvest honey handling. A total of 160 respondents’ were selected randomly from four purposively selected localities based on beekeeping potential & interviewed using semi structured questioner. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 software. The study revealed the majority of the respondents (60%) in the district practiced traditional beekeeping only. The average annual honey yield per hive from traditional beekeeping Pestobserved & honey significance bee enemies, difference herbicide (p>0.05) poisoning, for the absconding localities; of however bees, and from lack transitionalof appropriate & movableknowledge frame to manage hive, it bees observed were foundno significance the major difference. The average annual honey yields per hive from traditional, transitional & modern beehive were 8.62kg, 13.13kg & 19.91kg respectively. major damaging bee pest in the district. Despite all these constraints, there is an immense potential to enhance the quantity & quality of honey yieldconstraints in the district.of beekeeping Strong extensionin the study & technical area. Furthermore, intervention, Ants, appropriate monkey, culturalhoney badger, practice birds, to manage spider, weeds wax moth, & plant & pests,lizards training were identified to enrich the knowledge of beekeepers, improve post-harvest honey handling, and prevention of deforestation should be conducted to enhance the quantity & quality of honey yield in the area. Keywords: Beekeeping practice; Herbicide poisoning; Bee pest; Constraints; Post-harvest honey handling Introduction has been seriously devastated by complicated constraints. Low Beekeeping in Ethiopia is a promising non-farm activity productivity and poor quality of hive products are the major which contributes to the incomes of households and the economy economic impediments for beekeepers [5]. of nation. It also provides an employment opportunity for the household, however the exact number of farmers engaged in The prevailing production constraints in the beekeeping the sub-sector in Ethiopia is not well known. It is estimated that subsector of the country would vary depending on the agro around one million farm households are involved in beekeeping ecology of the areas where the activities is carried out Ayalew business [1]. [6]. Variations of production constraints also extend to socio- economic conditions, cultural practices, climate (seasons of the Beekeeping in Ethiopia has recently attracted attention year) and behaviors’ of the bees [7]. However, beekeeping research because of its potential to help revitalize the economy, reduce conducted in the nation so far did not cover to characterize and poverty, and conserve forests. The European Court of Justice document the apicultural resources and associated constraints in 2011 ruled that honey containing pollen from genetically potential regions [8]. Southwest parts of the country in general which gives Ethiopia an advantage over other major honey- of the sector for its proper intervention and utilization to specific modified plants could not be sold in the European Union [2,3], and Gesha district in particular has an immense potential for exporting countries since most Ethiopian honey is free from agrochemicals [4]. beekeeping. The place is endowed with diversified agro climate genetically modified plants as well as pesticides and other bimodal rain fall pattern makes the bees to produce & reproduce & honey bee plants. The presence of long flowering period with However, the country hasn’t been producing adequate twice a year in the region [5]. However, there is no much table-honey for local and export markets; since the sub sector detailed documented information about the current practice & Agri Res & Tech: Open Access J 16(1): ARTOAJ.MS.ID.555974 (2018) 004 Agricultural Research & Technology: Open Access Journal constraints of beekeeping. Therefore, the objective of this study questionnaire, observation and focus group discussion with was to investigate the beekeeping practices, post-harvest honey local farmer, and development agents. Key informants interview handling and constraints of beekeeping in Gesha districts. was also conducted to generate qualitative information about the activity. Key informants included model beekeepers, elders, Research Methodology and DAs working in Gesha district. Secondary data was gathered Description of the study area The study was conducted in Gesha district, Keffa zone, district & various reports. from officials working in various GOs, and NGOs found in the Methods of data analysis SNNPRS. Gesha is among the 13 districts in Keffa zone & is located The collected data for the beekeeping practice, bee colony capital of the zone, Bonga. Gesha suffers by poor infrastructural 538km west of the capital Addis Ababa and 126km from the inspection, constraints of beekeeping, bee pest & enemies, facilities like road & electricity. The altitude of the district ranges absconding of bees, function of beekeeping, post-harvest honey of steep, mountains, and plateau area that covers 25%, 50% and from 1500-3000m. The area has a varying topography composed simple descriptive statistics. Results are presented mainly 25% respectively (Annual report of the district, 2014). Gesha is handling, and status of honey bee flora were analyzed by using in the form of descriptive tabular summaries’. The analysis bordered on the south by Bita district, on the west by the Sheka was conducted separately for each locality in the district. Zone, on the north by the Oromia region and Sayilem district, The collected data for the average annual honey harvest were and on the east by Gewata district. analyzed with one-way ANOVA. When the analysis revealed the The area is characterized bimodal rain fall pattern having the mean minimum & mean maximum annual rain fall is 1750 existence of significant difference among means, Tukey test was & 2200mm respectively. It has a humid climate having the mean declared at P<0.05. SPSS version 21 statistical software was used used to separate significant means. Significant differences were maximum and mean minimum temperature of 24 °C and 14 to analyze the data. °C respectively. The farming system is characterized as mixed crop-livestock production system. The soil type of the area Result and Discussion is dominantly Nitisols with clay loams in texture and acidic in Household characteristics reaction which is agriculturally productive. The household characteristics’ of the respondents’ are Study design presented in Table 1. Majority of the respondent household were The research was basically a retrospective and cross-sectional headed. In the district the activity is predominated by traditional men headed (96.9%) and the remaining (3.1%) were female survey focused on the selected localities of Gesha district. The method embracing local hives with indigenous knowledge. The sampling units were households keeping honey bees. traditional hives are hanging on big tree branches in which Method of sampling & sample size some of the trees are as long as 40 meters and above. Female cannot climb up such big trees and hence discouraged to engage Four localities namely ‘Yerkceti’, ‘Xiraro’, ‘Meshami’, and in the activity. The study substantiate [4] reported traditional ‘Dirbedo’ were selected purposively based on their beekeeping beekeeping in Ethiopia is men’s job. The majority age of the activity & access for transport. A random sampling technique was used to select sample respondents. A total of 160 respondents Peoples in the aforementioned age do have the skill & strength to (40 respondents from each locality) from the four localities were respondent in the study area ranges 31-40 years (37.5%). climbing big trees and uplift the hive to hang on branches of big selected randomly. trees. This result substantiates people in the most productive age Methods of data collection engage in the beekeeping activity. The survey also indicated that Both primary and secondary data were used for the study. the majority of the respondents (92.5%) were married. Marriage The primary data were collected by using semi structured promotes synergy within a farm family and function as a custom to cop up life challenges in the rural community. Table 1: Household characteristics of the sample households (%) Variable Category Yerkceti (n=40) Xiraro (n=40) Meshami (n=40) Dirbedo (n=40) Overall (n=160) Male 95 97.5 97.5 97.5 96.9 sex Female 5 2.5 2.5 2.5 Married 95 92.5 92.5 90 92.53.1 divorced 5 2.5 2.5 5 Marital status Single - 2.5 2.5 - 3.8 Widowed - 2.5 2.5 5 1.32.5 How to cite this article: Getachew A. Assessment on the Constraints & Practices of Beekeeping, and Post-Harvest Honey Handling in Gesha District, 005 Keffa Zone, South-West Ethiopia. Agri Res & Tech :Open Access J. 2018; 16(1): 555974. DOI: 10.19080/ARTOAJ.2018.16.555974 Agricultural Research & Technology: Open Access Journal 25 45 <30 45 32.5 37.542.5 35 Age 31-4041-50 17.5 32.57.5 22.530 10 37.514.4 12.5 15 15 10 Read>51 &write 77.5 62.5 57.5 77.5 13.168.8 Education Illiterate 22.5 42.5 22.5 Out of the total interviewed beekeepers, about 68.8% of37.5 only whereas 25.6% of the respondents practiced 31.3traditional & transitional beekeeping concurrently; and the remaining were illiterate. In the study area the activity is predominated (14.4%) practiced traditional & movable frame hive beekeeping the respondents can read & write and the remaining 31.2% by traditional practices since the majority of the respondents concurrently.