Beekeeping in Somaliland

[Abu-Salman]

With bees diseased in many places and natural honey increasingly in demand and so expensive (30 us$ the kg in Djibouti, up to 6 times in the Gulf for Yemeni varieties etc), parts of Africa seem ideally suited for organic beekeeping (no cold, pesticides, modern hives etc);

it seems the Bakool area in Somalia is a paradise for bees with several good harvests a year, but other places could be suitable too:

 

 

We are just outside of Hargeysa, the capital city of Somaliland, in the village of Haleeya. This is one of the places where GABA – Ga’an Libah Agriculture and Bee Association runs beekeeping activities, in co-operation with the NGO Berri-Somal Kehitys based in Finland. It feels good to be outside the town and its traffic jams, get some fresh air and enjoy the green scenery, with the silhouette of the mountain Naasa Hablood at the background.

 

Multipurpose and valuable product

 

Since Abdulqadir started as a beekeeper, he has been given a nickname “Shinele”. Shinni in the Somali language means a bee. Abdulqadir used to have a small business in Hargeysa, but four years ago he started as a beekeeper. He has invested and bought the land where 40 beehives are kept, as well as a small plot for a garden nearby. Beekeeping is the only source of income for Abdulqadir and his immediate family, a wife and three children.

 

Honey is a valuable product, which is also consumed as medicine. Moreover, bee products are used, for example, for beautification. Abdulqadir relates that before the training given by Berri-Somal Kehitys, he did not know, for example, that bee wax could be used for many purposes. He used to throw it away. Now he has learnt that it can be mixed with moisturizing cream and, hence, made into a nourishing skin product.

 

Flowers for the honeybees

 

Annually, Abdulqadir’s bees have produced some 360 kilos of honey. One kilo of honey costs approximately 10 USD, the most expensive and finest honey being the one coming from the mountainous areas. However, beekeeping is a risky business, Abdulqadir says. “Drought makes beekeeping difficult, because there are no flowers. Last year we collected honey only once, normally we may harvest it 2−3 times a year. Moreover, there are some insects in the boxes that kill the bees.”

 

I am relieved when we move further from the bees to a nearby garden, which is protected from grazing animals by a fence. Abdulqadir proudly shows a water reservoir he has dug by himself. Abdulqadir seems to enjoy introducing different flowers he has planted and grown. He knows which flowers the bees like the most.

 

[...]

 

Through the project, in addition to the knowledge on bees and beekeeping itself, GABA has also raised awareness about the need to protect environment and stop cutting trees for charcoal. In the future GABA would like to extend beekeeping activities also to other regions in Somaliland

 

 

 

Beekeeping in Somaliland