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Beekeeping Practice and Forest Conservation in Gwer-West Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria

Received: 29 July 2015    Accepted: 27 August 2015    Published: 14 September 2015
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Abstract

The research was conducted in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria as to ascertain the number of beekeepers in the area, identify the beekeeping methods used, the quantity of honey produced, the income generated, bee plants in the area, conservation methods used, and the challenges faced by beekeepers in the study area. Multi-stage and purposive sampling techniques were used to administer one hundred (100) copies of questionnaire in the study area as follows: 20 in Tsambe/Mbesev, 20 in Tyouhatiee/Injah, 15 in Gbaange/Tongov, 10 in Tijime, 12 in Avihijime, 15 in Nyamshii, and 8 in Meeikyeh respectively. The results showed that beekeepers exist in the study area with majority of them falling between the ages of 20 and 40 years and they use traditional methods of beekeeping. The study also revealed that the main reason for keeping bees in the study area was for income generation while the major challenge of beekeeping in the study area was pests. Majority (78%) of the beekeepers produce about 40 litres of honey while a few (18%) produce above 80 litres of honey annually generating between ₦28, 000.00 and ₦100, 000.00 (about 160 - 500USD) annually per beekeeper. The major bee plants in the study area were Daniellia oliveri, Citrus sinensis, and Mangifera indica while the major conservation methods used include deliberate retention of bee plants on farmlands, planting of bee plants in home gardens, fire tracing among others. It was recommended that training on modern beekeeping methods should be carried out in the study area to improve beekeeping practice in the study area.

DOI 10.11648/j.aff.20150405.14
Published in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Volume 4, Issue 5, October 2015)
Page(s) 222-227
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Beekeeping Practice, Beekeepers, Bee Plants, Forest Conservation, Home Gardens

References
[1] V. T. Leen, J. B. Willem, M. Marieke, S. Piet, and V. Hayo. Beekeeping in the tropics. Digigrafi Netherlands. 2005. pp7- 49.
[2] C. D. Michener. The bees of the world. The John Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, MD, USA. 2000. pp. 913.
[3] R. T. Wilson. Current status and possibilities for improvement of traditional apiculture in sub-saharan Africa. Livestock Research for Rural Development. 2006. Vol. 13 (8): 1-11.
[4] H. D. Usman. “The role of beekeeping in poverty alleviation”. Magazine of the National Park Service, Nigeria. 2000. Pp. 43-44.
[5] A. A. Kareem, O. A, Iroko, A. F. Adio, O. C. Jegede, A. O. Olaitan and A. A. Jayeola. Role of non-timber forest products (NTFPS) in creating wealth: A case of honey production. In: L. Popoola, F. O. Idumah, V. A. J. Adekunle and I. O. Azeez (eds). The global economic crisis and sustainable renewable resources management. Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the Forestry Association of Nigeria held in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, 25th – 29th October, 2010 pp 429 - 435.
[6] A. A. Ukoima and U. F. Edeki. Apiculture: A panacea for poverty alleviation in the Niger delta, Nigeria. In: L. Popoola, F. O. Idumah, V. A. J. Adekunle and I. O. Azeez (eds). The global economic crisis and sustainable renewable resources management. Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the Forestry Association of Nigeria held in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, 25th – 29th October, 2010, pp 567- 572.
[7] International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Indigenous people and climate change/REDD-An overview of current discussions and main issues. 2010. Available at: http//cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/iucn_briefing_ips_and_redd_march_2010.pdf. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
[8] T. N. Tee and A. Ageende. Community woodlot production as a sustainable forest management option in Benue State, Nigeria. In: Popoola, L and Oni, P. I. (eds.). Sustainable Forest Management in Nigeria- lessons and prospects. Proceeding of the 30th Annual FAN Conference held at Kaduna. 2005. pp 371-388.
[9] T. N. Tee and J. Amonum. Domestication of non-timber forest tree products for sustainable livelihood. Journal of Research in Agriculture 2008. 5 (4):76-81.
[10] K. Hundera. Traditional forest management practices in Jimma Zone, South West Ethiopia. Ethiopia Journal of Education and Science. 2007, 2 (2):1-9.
[11] Benue State Diary. Benue State of Nigeria Diary. Produced by the Ministry of Information and Culture Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. 2013.
[12] A. Tsee. The Dynamics of Benue State Population (1963-2016). Micro Teacher and Associates, Makurdi. 2013. 91pp.
[13] F. S. Agbidye. Some Aspects of the Ecology, Nutritive Value and Marketability of Edible Forest Insects in Benue state, Nigeria. PhD. Thesis, Department of Forestry and Wood Technology, Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria. 2008. 118pp.
Author Information
  • Department of Forest Production and Products, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria

  • Department of Forest Production and Products, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria

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  • APA Style

    Francis Sarwuan Agbidye, Thompson Orya Hyamber. (2015). Beekeeping Practice and Forest Conservation in Gwer-West Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 4(5), 222-227. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aff.20150405.14

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    ACS Style

    Francis Sarwuan Agbidye; Thompson Orya Hyamber. Beekeeping Practice and Forest Conservation in Gwer-West Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. Agric. For. Fish. 2015, 4(5), 222-227. doi: 10.11648/j.aff.20150405.14

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    AMA Style

    Francis Sarwuan Agbidye, Thompson Orya Hyamber. Beekeeping Practice and Forest Conservation in Gwer-West Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. Agric For Fish. 2015;4(5):222-227. doi: 10.11648/j.aff.20150405.14

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  • @article{10.11648/j.aff.20150405.14,
      author = {Francis Sarwuan Agbidye and Thompson Orya Hyamber},
      title = {Beekeeping Practice and Forest Conservation in Gwer-West Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria},
      journal = {Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries},
      volume = {4},
      number = {5},
      pages = {222-227},
      doi = {10.11648/j.aff.20150405.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aff.20150405.14},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.aff.20150405.14},
      abstract = {The research was conducted in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria as to ascertain the number of beekeepers in the area, identify the beekeeping methods used, the quantity of honey produced, the income generated, bee plants in the area, conservation methods used, and the challenges faced by beekeepers in the study area. Multi-stage and purposive sampling techniques were used to administer one hundred (100) copies of questionnaire in the study area as follows: 20 in Tsambe/Mbesev, 20 in Tyouhatiee/Injah, 15 in Gbaange/Tongov, 10 in Tijime, 12 in Avihijime, 15 in Nyamshii, and 8 in Meeikyeh respectively. The results showed that beekeepers exist in the study area with majority of them falling between the ages of 20 and 40 years and they use traditional methods of beekeeping. The study also revealed that the main reason for keeping bees in the study area was for income generation while the major challenge of beekeeping in the study area was pests. Majority (78%) of the beekeepers produce about 40 litres of honey while a few (18%) produce above 80 litres of honey annually generating between ₦28, 000.00 and ₦100, 000.00 (about 160 - 500USD) annually per beekeeper. The major bee plants in the study area were Daniellia oliveri, Citrus sinensis, and Mangifera indica while the major conservation methods used include deliberate retention of bee plants on farmlands, planting of bee plants in home gardens, fire tracing among others. It was recommended that training on modern beekeeping methods should be carried out in the study area to improve beekeeping practice in the study area.},
     year = {2015}
    }
    

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    T1  - Beekeeping Practice and Forest Conservation in Gwer-West Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria
    AU  - Francis Sarwuan Agbidye
    AU  - Thompson Orya Hyamber
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    JO  - Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
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    AB  - The research was conducted in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria as to ascertain the number of beekeepers in the area, identify the beekeeping methods used, the quantity of honey produced, the income generated, bee plants in the area, conservation methods used, and the challenges faced by beekeepers in the study area. Multi-stage and purposive sampling techniques were used to administer one hundred (100) copies of questionnaire in the study area as follows: 20 in Tsambe/Mbesev, 20 in Tyouhatiee/Injah, 15 in Gbaange/Tongov, 10 in Tijime, 12 in Avihijime, 15 in Nyamshii, and 8 in Meeikyeh respectively. The results showed that beekeepers exist in the study area with majority of them falling between the ages of 20 and 40 years and they use traditional methods of beekeeping. The study also revealed that the main reason for keeping bees in the study area was for income generation while the major challenge of beekeeping in the study area was pests. Majority (78%) of the beekeepers produce about 40 litres of honey while a few (18%) produce above 80 litres of honey annually generating between ₦28, 000.00 and ₦100, 000.00 (about 160 - 500USD) annually per beekeeper. The major bee plants in the study area were Daniellia oliveri, Citrus sinensis, and Mangifera indica while the major conservation methods used include deliberate retention of bee plants on farmlands, planting of bee plants in home gardens, fire tracing among others. It was recommended that training on modern beekeeping methods should be carried out in the study area to improve beekeeping practice in the study area.
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