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With financial support from the French Embassy in Cameroon, the Environment and Rural Development Foundation(ERuDeF) has donated 150 modern bee hives to some Some 20 Farmers in Magha-Bamumbu village, Wabane Sub-Division. The donation came after a two-day training workshop on beekeeping given to them by a Specialist, Ngealeke Francis. The workshop, organized by ERuDeF took place recently and the move is aimed at improving the living standards of the inhabitants of this area through livestock activities while promoting the sustainable management of the environment. The initiative to offer both financial and technical support to this community is in view of technically assisting identified interested farmers that are resident in the area, to establish and produce quality honey both for household consumption and marketing, thus improving the livelihood of the people.
During this workshop, different problems related to beekeeping were identified and the participants were drilled on how to overcome the problems. They were taught on the different beekeeping practices and nourished with modern techniques of bee farming.
On the first day of the training the trainer, Ngealeke Francis enlightened the 20 participants on the value of bee farming and they were taught about the difference between artisanal and modern beekeeping practices, constraints identified in relation to beekeeping, and solutions envisaged. The farmers were also made to understand the utilization and maintenance of bee farming equipment and were taught about the criteria for apiary site selection and installation techniques of beehives. The trainer also taught the farmers measures that can be implemented to improve the colonization of beehives.
The trainer utilized a participatory, approach during the training and the participants asked different questions in areas where they had doubts and their worries were answered by the trainer. The session ended with the donation of explanatory notes and distribution of the bee keeping equipments
On the second day of the training a field demonstration on the installation of bee hives was done and some samples of bee hives were installed in the presence of all the participants, in sites selected in accordance with the modalities and techniques elaborated during the first part of the workshop.
At the end of the workshop, 150 bee hives and other equipments necessary in bee farming were donated to some selected participants who expressed joy “I am very satisfied with the training and the donation of these bee equipment. This will really help us boost honey production in Magha and also help boost our income” One of the participants said.
Lea Kenmene