Honey bees work to deliver liquid gold

Multi-National Force - Iraq ^ | Pfc. Justin Naylor, USA

[SandRat]

Saier Bibi, a farmer in the Qaytul village of Kirkuk province, works his new beehives during a visit to his farm by a representative from the United States Agency for International Development and the senior agricultural advisor from the Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team, Aug. 20. Photo by Pfc. Justin Naylor, 1st Cavalry Division.

KIRKUK — U.S. development and reconstruction teams recently visited local farmers in the village of Qaytul to check up on those who had received bee farming equipment as part of a year-long project designed to increase the income of small farm owners here.

"The Honey Bee Hive Development Project intends to help farmers in Kirkuk province increase household income through the inclusion of honey production," said Sana Rajah, a representative for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The project began in May 2008, when 159 farmers, including five women from throughout the province, were each given four modern hive boxes and 30 hours of training on how to properly care for, breed and collect honey from bees. The project was initially identified by the Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) and funded by USAID.

The training was hosted by the Honey Keeper in Kirkuk and Kurds Farmer Union organization, which now works closely with the bee farmers by sharing equipment and continuing to educate them on new ways to increase bee productivity.

According to Rajah, the goal of the project is to give farmers a way to raise their income by consistently producing honey, which sells for about $25 U.S. dollars a kilogram on the local market. Although Rajah does not expect these farmers to become full-time bee keepers, he hopes their income will continue to increase as they produce more honey.

Rajah and Jim Vancura, the senior agricultural advisor for the Kirkuk PRT, visited several farmers throughout the village during the trip and noticed many of the farmers had managed to turn four hives into multiple hives through breeding and splitting.

"At the beginning, we did not know anything about keeping bees," said Saier Bibi, one of the farmers who attended the bee training and who now owns half a dozen beehives. "Now it is easy. The association helped us with training and gave us lots of good information about the bees.”

"The important thing is giving the farmers training on management of the hives," said Khalid Hameed, the grantee representative and the bee keeper association president that works with the farmers.

"The farmers have increased their number of bees," said Hameed. "Many have even shared with other farmers."

Although the bee farmers themselves have done well, Rajah and Vancura had to speak with Hameed about developing a good business plan for the beekeeping association to ensure its sustainability.

According to Rajah, this requires the association to continue training the beekeepers on the most up-to-date techniques, thereby increasing their yields and allowing them to contribute more back to the association in the form of membership fees.

This year the hives did not yield as much honey as expected. According to the PRT, a beehive should produce about 5 kilograms per year and many of them have produced less. But, the farmers and beekeeper's association expect that it will improve in the coming years.

"This is a very good project," said Bibi. "We can earn money for our families, and it is something we can pass on to our children one day."

(By Pfc. Justin Naylor, 1st Cavalry Division)

[SandRat]

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[Texas Fossil]

Big benefit, increased pollination of the crops and bigger crop yields. Many farmers had bees years ago just for that purpose.

[Willie Green]

"This is a very good project," said Bibi. "We can earn money for our families, and it is something we can pass on to our children one day."

Sounds good to me too, Bibi!
It's nice to read a positive story like this every now and then!

Thanks! Here's a pleasant YouTube to go along with this article. Hope you enjoy!

[Chode]

a keeper i know said production was way down here bouts cause all the rain we've had washes the pollen off the flowers so less honey...