EDNA AND BEE-KEEPING

In the Bogoria area of ​​Baringo County, most of the inhabitants depend economically on livestock farming and agriculture but the main source of water, the Molo River, is dry for part of the year.

In these periods, men and women must find other income-generating activities to survive and an alternative is certainly beekeeping which has great potential since the area is covered with acacia trees. Unfortunately, however, people do not have the means to invest in this activity and consequently it is implemented with rudimentary tools with limited production capacities.

As part of the “Agri-change: small businesses, great opportunities. Development of agri-food chains in the Molo river basin” co-financed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, Mani Tese met Edna Sankok, one of the most determined people who were involved in the intervention.

Her main source of income is her neighbors’ goat farm from which she receives a small amount of money at the end of the day. Moving with the goats, Edna discovered an area suitable for beekeeping, with the presence of many acacia trees from which excellent honey is produced.

Over time, Edna managed to buy five hives on her own and began producing and selling honey in the city of Marigat. With the proceeds she bought food for her family, consisting of eight people, but the lack of additional financial resources did not allow her, despite her determination, to develop the business and increase production.

Mani Tese has decided to support Edna’s business and, thanks to the Agri-change project which intends to develop the honey supply chain, she has received seven new hives. Two of these, which she proudly showed us during our visit, are already colonized by bees, the others will be soon and in a few months the honey will be ready.

Developing an agricultural, breeding or beekeeping business itself is not easy in Baringo County: the main critical issues are drought and climate change which makes the seasons increasingly unpredictable.

However, Edna is confident and hopes to devote more and more time to beekeeping thanks to the support received and that she will receive from the project, also for the subsequent stages of the refining and marketing of honey.