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PROSPECTS OF BEEKEEPING AS AN ENTREPRENEURIAL OPTION IN KAOMA DISTRICT OF WESTERN PROVINCE OF ZAMBIA

BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Majority of the Zambian population depends heavily on forest resources for subsistence, energy, nutrition, income and the maintenance of farming systems. (Zulu, 1970).

This is more so for the rural areas, where 95% of the people are poor and 91% are extremely poor .

Thus, forests offer a wide range of ecological and economic services to people, including protection of water and soil resources.

But, there is increased perception on the part of the marginalized rural communities throughout Zambia that they can only sustain their living through agriculture.

There is a general belief that farmers all over the country should grow only maize every season on the same pieces of land. But a variety of factors coupled with non-availability of fertilizers and seeds have made crop yields from rural farmers dwindle every year. This is because their land has through time lost the capacity to produce.

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BACKGROUND OF STUDY

The inadequacy of the agricultural approach as a survival strategy for marginalized rural Zambian communities has led to the search for alternatives and the experimentation with a number of approaches based on the use of natural resources such as beekeeping as an entrepreneurial option.

Beekeeping as an entrepreneurial option has been embraced by many communities because they have realized it is one way of alleviating poverty as it does not require a big piece of valuable land and the labour requirement is low as bees do not need daily attention in order to produce well.

Honey produced by bees is good food and medicine and it can also be sold.

The study looked at how the rural communities in Kaoma can improve their livelihoods through beekeeping.

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BACKGROUND OF STUDY

An accurate assessment of the role beekeeping plays in rural societies would highlight and help to improve beekeeping so that beekeepers increase honey production and find markets for their products.

This would consequently lead to policy recommendations aimed at making beekeeping a viable entrepreneurial option to rural people in proximity of forests.

This would also reduce the high poverty levels in Kaoma district.

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THEORETICAL FOUNDATION OF STUDY Entrepreneurial activities or processes resulting in the establishment

of small businesses have become extremely important and worthy of serious research and study.

Entrepreneurship is a human creative act that involves finding personal energy by inviting and building an enterprise organization, rather than by just watching and analyzing, or describing one.

It involves building a team of people with complementary skills and talents, of sensing an opportunity where others see chaos, contradiction, and resources to pursue the opportunity.

It usually requires a vision and the passion, commitments and motivation to transmit this vision to other stakeholders such as partners, customers, suppliers, employees and financial bankers.

It also requires a willingness to take calculated risks- both personal and financial.

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ABRIDGED LITERATURE REVIEW

Beekeeping, “is the art of keeping bees for production of honey and beeswax” (Simute et. al, 1992.

Worldwide, the most widely used honey bees are the European races of Apis Mellifera, a species of honey bees also indigenous to Africa and the Middle East (Bradbear, 2004).

Many African countries are involved in beekeeping such as Kenya, Congo (D.R.) and Zambia.

In Zambia, beekeeping is practiced in areas that have plenty forests and few people such as in Kaoma (Zulu, 1970).

Modern beekeeping is based on sound management techniques, which can result in higher yields than the traditional methods (Bernhard and Clauss, 1991).

Traditional beekeeping is based on bark hives, but trees are ring-barked when making bark hives and this leads to the destruction of tree species like Brachystegia, which are good nectar producers.

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ABRIDGED LITERATURE REVIEW

Beekeeping is very beneficial to many communities in the world, Africa and Zambia because it provides valuable food, income to the farmers, incentives for the protection of nectar producing trees and improves crop yields through pollination and subsequently the better development of seed and fruits (Simute et al, 1992).

Furthermore, bees wax can be used in the production of cosmetics, polishes, candles, food sweeteners, beverages and skin cleaners.

Honey can also be used as medicine to treat colds and sore throats, insomnia, fatigue and hangovers.

Beekeeping can be a lucrative income-generating activity and annual incomes between $200 and $1000 are sometimes quoted.

Honey and bees wax are valuable commodities with ready local and export markets [Zulu, 1970].

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THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

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H1 H2

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In 2000, Kaoma District had a population of 162,568 and in 2010; it had the largest percentage of the total population of Western Province with 21.0 percent translating into 189,290 people (CSO, 2012).

Fifty (50) heads of households were interviewed using the scheduled structured questionnaires, which were personally administered.

Random sampling methods were used to ensure adequate representation and avoid bias.

The interviews were supplemented by Focus Group discussions with local people from the rural communities.

Quantitative analysis of data from the field was done using SPSS as a statistical package.

Data that could not be coded were used for qualitative data analysis based on expert stakeholder opinion and to discuss the findings of the research.

Regression, Student T-test and multivariate analyses were used to analyze data where two relationships have been expressed.

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FINDINGS The coefficient of determination (r2) at 0.68 is higher and shows that amounts of rainfall

received are responsible for 68% sales of beekeeping products as determined by the proceeds from the activity.

Therefore prospects of beekeeping as an entrepreneurial option is responsible for 68% poverty reduction.

The rural entrepreneurs process their beekeeping products traditionally at household level, before they are used or sold.

The coefficient of determination (r2) is higher which shows that prospects of beekeeping as an entrepreneurial option is responsible for 80% reduction in poverty levels as determined by the proceeds from the activity.

Therefore prospects of keeping as an entrepreneurial option is responsible for 80% poverty reduction.

Using 14 degrees of freedom and the calculated t-value of 0.04 is smaller than the critical t-value of 2.15 at 0.05 significance level. We accept the Ho hypothesis.

There is no association between tribe or culture with prospects of beekeeping.

Using 18 degrees of freedom and the calculated t-value of 5.26 which is larger than the critical t-value of 1.73 at 0.05 significance level, we accept the Ha hypothesis.

There is a relationship between favourable forests and prospects for beekeeping as entrepreneurial option.

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FINDINGS

Variable Nature of Assistance Value Frequency Percentage (%)

FD Training/skill only 1 32 65

KZF Training and financial 2 13 25

GTZ Training and financial 3 5 10

Total 50 100

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Nature of Assistance Stakeholders offered to Entrepreneurs

FINDINGS

Major challenges that entrepreneurs in Kaoma face encompass thefts being very much prevalent in the district.

There is also interference by red ants. These ants are the second worst enemy of bees to man as they feed on bees, brood and honey.

Attack on hives by termites is another challenge. Termites feed on wooden materials some types of beehives are made from, for instance, bark and log hives.

The Honey Badger, a powerful mammal that breaks into hives to get and feed on honey and brood is also of major concern to the entrepreneur.

The lack of or limited skill on the part of the entrepreneurs to ensure that apiaries are well managed and hence increased production of honey and beeswax.

Bees also abscond from hives or apiaries due to natural enemies like man, ants, diseases and fire.

Inadequate transport is yet another challenge encountered by the entrepreneurs. Some entrepreneurs do not have the money to buy the necessary equipment for production as

well as processing honey and beeswax. Loans are not easy to get as they demand collaterals which many of them do not have. Further, the interest rates are too high for the entrepreneurs to get and pay back the loans.

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CONCLUSIONS Successful implementation of a beekeeping industry plays a vital role to

economic development and poverty alleviation. Kaoma, being a rural and farming area, is very much hit by high poverty

level or deforestation. Many people lost their jobs as a result of retirement, privatization and

others came to settle there for farming purposes. Farming has on so many occasions failed them due to poor rains and late

arrivals of inputs. To survive, they turned to beekeeping operations but there were major

challenges that beekeeping entrepreneurs faced like the lack of or limited management and entrepreneurial skill, inadequate transport to markets, lack of startup capital and unfavourable government policies.

Hence, it was prudent to identify and assess prospects of beekeeping as an entrepreneurial option. These have been shown to be very promising, viable and sustainable.

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RECOMMENDATIONS Government should create an enabling environment in which beekeeping

entrepreneurs can fully utilize their potential to the maximum. Government should also put in place favourable monetary policies, i.e.

reduced interest rates so as to reduce the cost of borrowing capital, which would in turn encourage private business investments and development.

Government should help beekeeping entrepreneurs to start up and grow their businesses by giving them tax rebate, as it does to large firms.

Commercial banks should provide a wider range of loan conditions, collateral requirements, interest rates and repayment conditions for different segments of the economy.

There is need to establish programmes combining skills and management training for beekeeping entrepreneurs that would better equip them to start and expand the business.

The creation of an information centre at Kalumwange will allow entrepreneurs to have access to important current information.

Modern industries that can process beekeeping produce into finished products should be located within the study area. This would ensure that secondary products like candles, cobra, honey, etc. are produced locally.

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