ISSN 2348-1218 (print) International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovations ISSN 2348-1226 (online) Vol. 9, Issue 2, pp: (114-123), Month: April - June 2021, Available at: www.researchpublish.com
Embracing bee-keeping technology to enhance smart farming: evidence from Lira city, mid-north Uganda 1 1
Pamella Stela Akullu, 2David Mwesigwa
MA student, Discipline of Public Administration and Management, Lira University, Uganda
2
Senior lecturer, Discipline of Public Administration and Management, Lira University, Uganda
Abstract: This paper debates the means in which the idea of smart farming can be enhanced using beekeeping technologies in the sub-region of mid-north Uganda, as confidence in the budding of smart farming to bolster sustainable development provides way. Inside the familiar writings, there is abundant discussion of the pressure between realizing economic development as well as ensuring that there is sustainable growth, however, this discussion has seldom been stretched to bee-keeping in a less-developing country. More serious versions have occasionally been embraced in an all-encompassing outlook. A case study of one bee-keeping farm is selected to explore the prospect of smart farming through bee-keeping. It is apparent that this fluctuates significantly consistent with the level of technology adopted. No matter by what method smart farming is assembled, nevertheless, the degree to which its pathways offer it with some amount of reliance is determined by a comprehensive array of elements comprising availability of resources, readiness of the farmer, level of supports offered to the farmer, and ability to adopt the preferred technology. It is thus established that enhancing smart farming through bee-keeping technologies can be principally stimulating for farmers in the study area though the socioeconomic anxieties lie with obtaining initial investment capitals. Keywords: Bee-keeping, honey, beeswax, propolis, pollen.
1. INTRODUCTION Apiculture is another word for beekeeping. It is the management of bees in beehives in order to produce honey, beeswax, pollen and propolis. According to Dogan, Adanacioglu, Saner and Tankma (2020), beekeeping is a branch of production that can be carried out with other agricultural activities in rural areas, and it is also one of the most important agricultural activities because of the importance of bee products in the human diet, their use in the pharmaceutical, traditional medicine usage in treatment and the role of bees in improving product quality in crop production. The practice of beekeeping also referred to as apiculture dates back many years and According to Tew (2016), there is evidence of people collecting honey from wild bees as far back as 15,000 years ago. Beekeeping involves introducing artificial hives where bees are domesticated for purposes of producing honey and other bee products ready for extraction (Zacepins, 2015). According to FAO (2018), data on the number of bee colonies, china is in the first place with 9 million 148 thousand colonies, followed by Turkey in the second place with 8 million 133 thousand colonies. In terms of honey production globally, china is in the first place with 502 thousand tons, Turkey with 114 thousand tons, United States with 73 thousand tons and Russia with 69 thousand tons among others. Today 56 million beehives exist in the world ad 1.2 million tons is produced from these hives. ¼ of produced honey is subjected to trade and 90 percent of the exports come from nearly 20 honey producing countries (FAO, 2005). World honey production per bee hive is around 20 kilogrammes and this amount is 33 in China, 40 in Argentina, 27 in Mexico, 64 in Canada, 55 in Australia, 40 in Hungary, and approximately 16 kilogrammes in turkey. African production represents only 9.8 percent of the world production of honey
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