Challenges and perspectives for beekeeping in Ethiopia. A review

Abstract

The honey bee is an important fruit and vegetable pollinator and a producer of honey and other hive products. Beekeeping is a sustainable and high-potential activity for local communities and especially for the rural poor to gain additional income through non-timber forest products, does not require much land or high starting costs, maintains biodiversity and increases crop yields. Ethiopia is one of the top ten honey and beeswax producers in the world, but plays only a minor role in the international honey trade. Unlike large-scale beekeepers using modern techniques found in most leading honey-producing countries, the majority of Ethiopian beekeepers are small-scale producers practicing traditional beekeeping. In this article, we summarize the knowledge on Ethiopian beekeeping, honey bees, honey bee pests, marketing strategies, cultural aspects and major challenges of beekeeping. Furthermore, we used FAOSTAT data to calculate a pollination gap in order to draw the attention of stakeholders and decision-makers to bees and their importance in pollination and sustainable rural development. In regard to forage, we compiled 590 bee forage plants and their flowering times as a supplement to the article. This review outlines the following major points: (1) Ethiopia is a top honey and beeswax producer mainly for the domestic market; (2) Equipment for traditional beekeeping is easily accessible but brings disadvantages (gender gap, limitations in hive management and lower honey yield), while transitional and modern systems require certain beekeeping skills and higher starting costs; (3) Colony numbers increased by 72% from 1993 to 2018 and crop areas needing pollination by 150%; (4) Honey yield per hive and number of beehives managed per area of bee-pollinated crops increased by 20% and 28%, respectively; (5) Pesticide use has been increasing and there is a lack in pesticide use education. Recommendations to realize Ethiopia’s tremendous apicultural potential are discussed.

Rapid transformation of traditional beekeeping and colony marketing erode genetic differentiation in Apis mellifera simensis, Ethiopia

“…Ethiopian national figures indicate 65% increase in the total number of honey bee colonies over the same period including a total of 3% frame hives in 2020 (CSA 2004(CSA , 2021. A recent review on an extended period based on FAOSTAT reported that number of colonies increased by 72% from 1993 to 2018 at national level (Gratzer et al 2021). Following the trends in production, honey export volume continued to grow from 274 tons in 2009, to 727 tons in 2012 and 883 tons in 2013 (Girma and Gardebroek 2015).…”

“…Following the trends in production, honey export volume continued to grow from 274 tons in 2009, to 727 tons in 2012 and 883 tons in 2013 (Girma and Gardebroek 2015). However, demands for honey bee pollination service of cultivated crops outpaced the growth in managed colony population in the country (Gratzer et al 2021), which indicate the need to further exploit the beekeeping potential.…”

“…In Ethiopia, the Central Statistical Agency (CSA) (CSA 2021) reported about seven million managed colonies distributed throughout different agro-ecological zones (AEZs). Beekeeping plays important roles to the livelihood of smallholder farmers in the country (Girma and Gardebroek 2015;Tarekegn and Ayele 2020;Gratzer et al 2021). There has been a close relationship between the honey bees and human beings, in which traditional beehives are often installed inside the walls of residential houses and backyards throughout the rural areas of Ethiopia (Bogale 2009;Hailu and Tesfay 2012).…”

“…There has been a close relationship between the honey bees and human beings, in which traditional beehives are often installed inside the walls of residential houses and backyards throughout the rural areas of Ethiopia (Bogale 2009;Hailu and Tesfay 2012). Beekeeping products, mainly honey and beeswax, are highly valued and have been used in the country since ancient times (Gratzer et al 2021). Honey-wine (mead, locally miyes), which is a fermented product of crude honey harvested from traditional beehives, has remained to be among the main beverages in many areas of Ethiopia such as Tigray (Bahiru et al 2001;Dhyani et al 2019).…”

Approaches, challenges and recent advances in automated bee counting devices: A review

“…However, within the last decade, there has been a rapid increase in video-based counters income and combat unemployment. Ultimately, this could lead to improved protection of the environment and an increased quality of life and higher living standards in these countries (Gratzer, Susilo, Purnomo, Fiedler, & Brodschneider, 2019;Gratzer, Wakjira, Fiedler, & Brodschneider, 2021).…”