HONEY-BEE PRODUCTION PRACTICES AS A SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD AMONG THE IGBO OF SOUTHEASTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

Rural areas heavily depend on traditional industries for their sustainable livelihood and as their heritage. Beekeeping for honey production is one such traditional industry. It is seen as an alternative source of income for the local people. The paper studied the techniques of honey bee production among Igbo people using Edem-ani, Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu state, Nigeria as a case study. The implications of honey bee production to the host communities as their sustainable livelihood were looked at. The work also identified the major constraints faced during honey beekeeping and then, recommendations. Three communities in Edem-ani; Uwani Nkoffi, Uwani Umuchoke, and Owerre were selected using purposive sampling. In-depth interviews and direct observation were used to elicit information from the research subjects: beekeepers, honey sellers, and consumers. Journals and internet materials were secondary data used. The result revealed that beekeeping is a viable business as the majority of the respondents found it very profitable. The findings assist extension workers to come up with more practical solutions to address the needs of the bee farmers in order to have high productivity.