Beekeepers for Life, Empowering 1300 Uganda Women

bout the activity and methodology  

The activity focused at equipping the trainees/beekeepers with knowledge in basic apiary and hive best management basic practices and skills. It also looked at equipping them with value addition skills on honey and other honeybee hive products. The training aimed at ensuring that members gain knowledge and management skills for increased production, improved incomes and livelihoods.

Trainees were taken through topics like; setting up a good apiary, apiary and bee management, harvesting and extracting quality honey, keeping apiary/hive records, how to harvest and process quality beeswax, and value addition on beeswax to make different products 

The methodology involved classroom facilitation and hand on practice. After the classroom facilitation, the trainees where give chance to practically try out some skills. 

What went well?

A reasonable number of group members turned up for the training with enthusiasm to learn new ideas and skills 

The trainees demonstrated strong interest in and commitment to Beekeeping. They actively participated in the training activities and were very much cooperative and supportive 

The training was timely and provided solutions to the apiary/hive management problems the groups has been facing

What didn’t go well?

Some members didn’t turn up for the training. It’s assumed that they lost interest in the Beekeeping project 

The practical part on value addition was limited. We didn’t do much on the practical part of value addition due to lack of equipment and material 

The group has some harvested honey but they lack packaging materials to enable them sale their honey 

Under budget estimates on feeding/ training welfare of the trainees. The cost of food items has almost doubled

What can we improve upon?

Interest the inactive members to actively start participating in group activities 

Organize a more practical training on value addition. Source for the required equipment and materials 

Readjust the budget to able cater for the meals of participants 

Followed the drawn action points for improvement (Apiary clearing and hive repair and cleaning, Routine Apiary and hive inspection)  

INTRODUCTION

The goal of the project is having beekeeping training that benefited 60 project group members on honeybee behavior, colony management, colony siting, honey bee pests, predators and disease.

It was three - day planned training in Bukedea Uganda. After completion of this training, certificates of completion were issues and received by members.

Much thanks to Lucas and Mathias for giving their time as trainers who made the group members really acquire knowledge and skills that they needed to become proficient beekeepers in Bukedea.  We also give thanks to the CDO Acam Ruth who came to represent Bukedea Local Government. We thank the project group members for attending this training and going way with new skills of keeping bees not for production but for productivity.

ACTIVITES

The major activity of the project was training of 20 group members of the project to get new ways of keeping bees. With three days training the following topics that included honeybee behavior, colony management, honey bee pests, predators and disease were covered. Everybody was seen participating that made the training so interesting.  We had enough time to share what was learnt. Participants were able to bring out some challenges and the trainers were able give solutions basing on importance of knowing bee behavior, the reasons for inspecting colonies time to time, the pests that attach bees always and predators and diseases. The trainers kept time and were clear. The participants advocated for another training were they like to learn smart honey harvesting and value addition.

As an organization responsible for this project we needed more efforts and efficiency from the trainers. The job was well done by Lucas and Mathias. We also needed government local leaders to be present. Both LCI and the CDO were present. This really made the training so innovative that left the local leaders and group members loving to be beekeepers of knowledge and skills.

EVALUATION RESULTS

1. TRIANERS – Lucas and Mathias were very efficient and used all the skills to live the group members with knowledge.
2. VENUE – There wasn’t any disturbance in the place that we rented for the training and prefer using this place for future trainings.
3. TRAINEES – The project group members were present during the training never remain the same because everyone was able to say something during evaluation time or recap.  Everybody appreciated the certificates given to them as an evidence that will keep remaining them of what they learnt and keep reading their training notes.
4. LOCAL LEADERS – LCI represented government. He benefited from this training.   The CDO who represented Bukedea District Local Government told the participant to have passion for beekeeping. She was so happy for what the group is doing in Bukedea.
5. CERTIFACATES –  Certificates were handed over and everybody appreciated.

ANECDOTAL INFORMATION

Covering all areas concerning honeybee behavior equipped the trainees with knowledge of overcoming swamming, absconding, supersedure, immigration, scouting, robbing and why bee dance. Apiary siting was surprising because it kept everyone listening as members who were new in the venture didn’t know what to do to select right place for beekeeping.  Colony management was another exciting topic that drew attention of all members as they didn’t know as to why inspection of honeybee colony is very important. They left the training knowing what keen bee farmer should always do to have productive colonies.  Anyone who could attend this training would really enjoy the topics covered as they were inspiring. I heard everyone saying how good the training was. They were appreciating it as an eye opener for them.  Everybody had a feeling of changing their traditional ways. They are bee farmer now of productivity but not of production. They got knowledge of making regular inspection of the apiaries, supplying of additional food to the bees when food for them is scares, putting water nearby and growing plants that keep them in production as well as making sure that there are no pests and diseases that attack bees.  It was really time of change as it was turning point for who needed to be bee farmer. It was never time of regret but it was time for knowledge.

Brother Dave that is what was making this training amazing and I loved to share with you because it will give you confidence that we are so interested in beekeeping. We really appreciate moving to the next level in beekeeping.

RECOMMENDATION OR NEXT STEP (PLAN OF ACTION)

Continuos  strengthening of the groups int its efforts in visiting group members’ homes to inspect apiaries and making apiary siting.  Efforts will also be made in building up new apiaries so that group bee farmers put what they have learnt into practice. We are taking the advice of the CDO of recruiting others groups into Bee 4 Life Family Project. This will hopefully begin next year. Praying for motorcycle donation if possible to help in monitoring.

GROUP MEMBERS

For the project group members who are beneficiaries. They are going to put what they have learnt into practice by carrying out the following activities.

• Inspecting their apiaries once every month.
•  Feeding their apiaries when food is scare.
• Preventing immigrations of the bee colonies by making their apiaries so attractive to bees.
•  Follow proper periods of honey harvesting.
•  Handling diseases and pests that attack bees by taking preventive measures learnt from the training.
•  Keeping their apiaries clean as place for bees to stay without immigrating.
•   Have in mind vision of not to be production bee farmers but farmers of productivity.
• Visiting each farmer to share experiences, challenges and developing ideas of beekeeping.