PRODUCTION SYSTEMS, OPPOURTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS OF BEEKEEPING IN SELECTED KEBELES OF GUMMER WOREDA IN GURAGHE ZONE, SNNPRS, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Beekeeping is an important component of agriculture and rural development program of many countries. It provides security in nutrition, economy (for income generation) and ecology. This study was conducted in four purposively selected Kebeles of Gumer Woreda, in Gurague Zone, with the objective of analyzing the major honey bee production systems, opportunities and challenges in these areas. For this study a total of 60 beekeepers were randomly selected from the study areas. The data collected was analyzed; descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the data. As the results of this study indication the sample respondents practice three types of IX production systems, traditional hive (67%), transitional hive (5.45%), and modern/frame hive (27.6%). According to the result of this study, the respondents of the study area could harvest twice (61.7%) and once (38.3%) per annum. The productivity of the colony in the three different production systems varies in the three study kebeles. The production system of these areas was dominated by traditional (67%). As a conclusion, the honey bee production system of the study areas has many opportunities for bee keeping in the study areas such as, long standing tradition of bee keeping, marketing access, high demand for honey and bee colonies, availability of water and different honey bee floras. Despite these study areas has been reported to face with different major challenging factors like, pesticide and herbicide application, pests and predators, absconding, beekeeping equipment’s and lack of cultivated bee forage with their order of importance. In order to sustain bee keeping activities in the study areas, it is recommended that there should be affordable and appropriate extension service, supply of bee keeping equipment, capacitating to beekeepers (herbicide and pesticide application and pests and predator control mechanisms.