Lessons from the Equator Initiative : honey care Africa's beekeeping in rural Kenya

Date

2004

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Centre for Community-Based Resource Management, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, CA

Abstract

Community-based conservation (CBC) has become a dominant paradigm in international development. It is an approach that seeks to generate income and conserve biodiversity in a manner that includes participation of local communities and resource users. The results from CBC initiatives have been mixed; the difficulty arising from reconciling biodiversity conservation with economic development is thought by some to be a major obstacle to this approach and has been met with varying degrees of success. The Equator Initiative (EI) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was established to recognize and encourage successful CBC initiatives throughout the equatorial regions. One such initiative recognized by the EI is Honey Care Africa’s (HCA) beekeeping initiatives in various regions of Kenya. This report presents the preliminary findings from research conducted at two sites in Kenya as one of several EI case studies in a coordinated team project at the Natural Resources Institute (NRI), University of Manitoba. The research findings will have theoretical and practical implications for future CBC and other development initiatives. The purpose of the study is to understand and document the principal lessons learned from two HCA beekeeping initiatives in different areas of Kenya concerning the simultaneous conservation of biodiversity and generation of income for local residents.

Description

Keywords

APICULTURE, HONEY, INCOME GENERATION, PROTECTED AREAS, FOREST CONSERVATION, KENYA

Citation

DOI