The drivers and intensity of adoption of beekeeping in northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Background Beekeeping activity is carried out in most parts of Ethiopia. However, despite the favorable agro-ecology for beekeeping practices and the high number of bee colonies the country is endowed with, the level of beekeeping adoption is low. Methods This study was conducted to identify determinants of the decision to adopt beekeeping, and the intensity of adoption by using a cross-sectional data collected from 772 rural households in Northwest Ethiopia. Stratified random sampling method was used to select the households, and the data were collected using a questionnaire. To achieve the objectives, Heckman two-stage sample selection model was used. Results The result of the first step Heckman model revealed that age and educational level of the household head, household size, extension visits, training, incentive, home consumption of honey, major economic activities of the household, perception towards better hives, distance to the nearest marketplace, the number of years the household stayed in the village, and location were the significant variables influencing rural households’ beekeeping adoption decision. The second step Heckman model revealed that livestock holding of a household head, number of extension visits, credit use, presence of honey bee pests, whether a household is engaged in swarm catching practices, and major economic activities of a household head were the variables that influence the intensity of beekeeping adoption significantly. Conclusions The findings of the study can be used to make evidence-based policy interventions to improve beekeeping adoption and the intensity of beekeeping adoption by rural households, which could also help to improve their livelihoods.

Determinants of the Adoption of Modern Apiculture Among Marginal Households in Baringo and Makueni Counties, Kenya

“…Thus, embracing new technologies attracts higher returns in the households. This was a contrast to Andaregie et al (2022) who reported that rural households located far away from marketplace get limited information and have difficulties in accessing inputs for apiculture.…”

“…However, Bojago (2023) found a positive influence stating that larger families are more likely to use modern technologies in order to meet their daily needs. Correspondingly, Andaregie et al (2022) reported that those households with large family size are likely to produce more honey and adopt new technologies since there is availability of more labour to look after the enterprise.…”

System Mapping of the Production and Value Chain to Explore Beekeeping Potential in Southwest Ethiopia

“…However, the beekeeping system remains predominantly traditional and, hence, its contribution to the local community, national economy, and the country's international trade stays minimal [14]. Ethiopia is known for its greatly diversified agroclimatic conditions and biodiversity, which caused the presence of abundant honeybee flora and a massive number of honeybee colonies [19][20][21][22][23]. It is estimated that the country has a total of 10 million Apis mellifera bee colonies.…”