Yemen: Supporting beekeeping to promote livelihoods
19 May 2023, Sana’a – Yemen is known globally for its high value, good quality and unique honey whose production may be affected by climate change and other practices which kill bees. Bees and other pollinators are unsung workhorses as close to 75 percent of the world’s crops that produce fruits and seeds for human consumption depend on them for sustained production, yield and quality.
The global imminent threats to bees are cause for concern and concerted efforts are needed to save them. Any action that affects bees has a ripple effect with a potential to disrupt food production systems.
In Yemen, the honey value chain plays a key role in food and nutrition security and generating income for an estimated 100,000 beekeepers in the country. There are more job opportunities created along the value chain. Yemen is known for Sidr honey, one of the most valuable honey variety in the world. Honey production in Yemen has increased from around 600 tonnes per year in 2000 to 2,750 tonnes in 2017. Honey exports were at around 2,000 tonnes in 2017.
World Bees Day striking a chord with Yemeni beekeepers
The socio-economic role of honey in Yemen makes bees very critical. As such, Yemeni beekeepers keenly follow the global efforts to protect bees. Yemeni beekeepers, together with their counterparts across the globe, today join the world in marking the World Bee Day. This year World Bee Day is marked under the theme “Bee engaged in pollinator-friendly agricultural production”.
The day is set aside to underline calls for global action to support pollinator-friendly agricultural production and highlights the importance of protecting bees and other pollinators, particularly through evidence-based agricultural production practices.
The FAO Representative in Yemen, Dr Hussein Gadain, said they were encouraging the adoption of environment friendly agricultural production practices which promote restoration of agrifood systems and protect bees and other pollinators in the country.
“Apart from the role that bees play in the production of the famed Yemeni honey, we should also underline the importance of bees in maintaining ecosystems. Our support for beekeepers in Yemen through various interventions, enhances climate change adaptation as well as improving agricultural production systems. At the same time, these interventions ensure that Yemeni beekeepers save bees,” said Dr Gadain.
FAO, with funding from different partners, has implemented projects to diversify Yemenis’ sources of income as a way of building resilience against shocks. Beekeeping and honey production are some of the income generating activities which have been initiated under the different projects. Yemeni honey sells for a premium and this makes the venture attractive to all including women and young people.
New and existing farmers have taken part in the projects. Participating farmers were provided with beehives, feed, necessary honey production equipment (protective clothes, smokers and honey extractors) and training in order to start or enhance beekeeping activities.
A recently concluded World Bank funded project to support beekeeping in the country and restore honey production has shown the benefits that accrue to beekeepers who took part. Around 700 families were trained in beekeeping and apiculture activities, and received beehives and honey production equipment. This project saw beekeepers increasing output and earning with some beekeepers upscaling their activities and increasing the number of beehives.
Through such interventions, FAO has worked with communities to enhance beekeepers’ resilience to climatic shocks and at the same time saving bees which not only play a role in honey production but as pollinators as well.
FAO, through the World Bank funded Desert Locust Response Project, is enabling farmers to protect the environment as they manage desert locust. The World Bank funded project has provided 600 kilograms of bio-pesticides to Yemen as a safe alternative to chemical pesticides. Biological control has also been promoted in fighting other pests such as fall armyworm.
