Beekeepers for Life, Empowering 1300 Uganda Women

Training program

• Registration and arrival of participants
• Self-introduction
• Opening remarks from group chairperson
• Training
• Closing of the Training – Senior Community Development
  Officer, Bukedea District

Training objectives

To make the farmers understand the general principle of Apiary as a business and how they can improve their own systems.

Training content

Overview of beekeeping management:

(Beekeeping equipment, honey bee pests, predators & diseases, honey bees colony management, and bee botany)

Own assessment - content to be handled in the next training session:

Apiary inspection – Not colony, group management and record keeping by the
Senior Community Development Officer, two trainers.

Materials used and distributed to the participants

• Markers,
• Flipcharts,
• Books,
• pens
• Training content

Training methodology
The methodology in the training included individual work, brainstorming, shared apiary experiences, group discussions

Starting procedure

The training started successfully with prayers, self-introduction, expectations,
brief introduction about the programme by Lucas Akol and Mathias Walwana,
then reaction to expectations, and there after the training started. The general
attendance was 22 trainees and on the closing day we received the Senior
Community Development Officer.
The participants came up with the following expectations;

• Knowledge and skills
• Training allowances
• T-shirts’ for identification
• Hand outs
• Learning tour visits
• Equipment including KTBs, modern Bee suits

Level of participation:

The level of participation was good since all participants attended the training.

Training Activities/topics

The training sessions covered mainly all the areas of apiary management and
siting: -

1. Beekeeping equipment and tools,
2. Apiary and Apiary siting,
3. Apiary and colony inspection and management,
4. Honeybee behaviour
5. Honeybee pests, predators and diseases and control measures,
6. Honeybee colony management and
7. Bee botany

Outputs of the activity achieved

The training objectives were realized given the fact that all the pre-planned contents were able to be exhausted.

• The Apiary management was understood and the participants agreed to practice good Beekeeping Practices
• Participants get quality knowledge on beekeeping
• Participant appreciated the benefit of colony inspection with its advantages
• The participants practically were able to understand the various beekeeping methods and disease and pest control and finally bee hive equipment.
• Participants were awarded certificates of completion at the close of the training
• The training was closed by the Senior Community Development Officer – Bukedea district who promised to support the group in terms of capacity building and material/equipment from the district

Matters arising

• From 2020 – 2021 the group has never enjoyed the beekeeping business due to the excessive pests and predators that attacked the apiaries (apiaries got more enemies, pest and predators) and the bees
absconded.
• The hives recolonised but with fears of the similar instances of abscondence
• Most of them wasted the wax – yet the trainings encourage zero waste of hive products
• Asked for wax and honey processing training
• The Senior community Development Officer raised an issue of some organisations deviating from their sole objectives and fight the government

• The Senior community Development Officer requested bees aborad to also look in to provision of inputs, equipment and tools for the beneficiary groups.

Challenges

• The group has high expectations for support with beekeeping equipment
• Rent of the training venue – with a mind once we involve the government official they will always want to be in good environment.

Way forward

• Continuous refresher trainings of farmers on Apiary management good
practices
• Continuous supervision and monitoring
• Provision of at least one modern beekeeping suit
• The groups report to bees abroad monthly to help Bees Abroad trace the progress.
• Exposure learning visit

Conclusion

• The training went on successfully as scheduled.
• The participants were trainable and mature
• The training ground was very was participatory

Our beekeeping initiative trains & supports women to become skilled beekeepers, community leaders, trainers & entrepreneurs, through our sustainable beekeeping training model with expert field practitioners. Alleviating poverty by creating Beekeepers For Life in rural communities across Uganda.

This project is managed by designated, unpaid, project managers and run within a group structure. Project Managers design them to become self-funding small businesses after a defined period of time.
The project groups are bound by the legal, charitable requirement to reach the poorest sectors of society ensuring that projects can be sustainable. A group cannot depend on continued funds from outside the area or on one person’s hard work. SCOEN the promotes and supports projects that use affordable, appropriate techniques and equipment.

Training objective
To equip trainees/Beekeepers of Bees for life family project with knowledge in apiary management for improved honey production for enhanced household incomes
Training content/topics

• Beekeeping equipment and tools,
• Apiary and Apiary siting,
• Apiary and colony inspection and management,
• Honeybee behaviour
• Honeybee pests, predators and diseases and control measures,
• Honeybee colony management and
• Bee forage/botany

Training methodology and Approach

• Sharing experiences,
• Brainstorming,
• Individual exercise and group work, and
• Open discussion

Training Achievements

• Turn-up for the training was very good coupled with good time management. About 90% of the group members attended the training right from the start to the last day. The members were also very active and participatory in the different sessions
• The training was tailored towards offering solutions to the general challenges Beekeepers are facing in their apiaries. The topics handled were a spot on
• Beekeepers appreciated the knowledge they acquired in the training and promised to put it into practice for the improvement of their apiaries and increased honey production
• Some members had lost interest in the project but because of the training, they were encouraged and energized to carry on with the project
• We were able to visit some apiaries of some members in the project
• Participants were awarded certificates of completion at the close of the training
• The training was graced by the Senior Community Development Officer – Bukedea district who promised to support the group in terms of capacity building and material/equipment from the district
• Training challenges
•  Some member didn’t turn-up for the training. They had to attend some other meeting/training organized by the Town-council
• The group still has high expectations for support with beekeeping equipment
• Some members had abandoned their apiaries

Recommendations

• There is need for support supervision to help keep the members active in the group and working on their apiaries
• Support the group with some bee equipment especially the protective gears
• Members be encouraged to set timetables for the periodic visit and inspection of their apiaries and colonies
• Organize more trainings for the group