Effect of training of women beekeepers on production of beehive products in Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of training on production of bee-hive products by women beekeepers. The specific objectives were to describe the socioeconomic characteristics of the women beekeepers in the study area, examine beekeepers’ access to training, determine the percentage of the beekeepers producing each of the bee hive products, and determine the influence of training on production of bee-hive products. A total of 107 women beekeepers were randomly selected as respondents for the study. Data were collected with the use of a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistical tools and logit regression analysis. Results on socioeconomic characteristics show that the beekeepers were relatively educated. Friends and relatives, respectively were the most reported marketing outlets and source of information used by the beekeepers. The majority of the beekeepers did not belong to beekeeping cooperative group and lacked access to extension services. About 68% of the beekeepers had access to training. Apart from honey and bee-wax only very few beekeepers produced other bee-hive products and secondary products. At P>0.01, training positively affected the production of honey (0.100), bee-wax (0.116), bee venom (0.584) and number of secondary products produced (1.378). It however negatively influenced the production of propolis (-0.423) and pollen (-0.298). On the basis of these findings, it is recommended that intensive training programmes on production of different bee-hive products should be given topmost priority for profit maximization and economic diversification.