Analytical Study of Small Scale Beekeeping Farming in Eswatini: A Case Study in Manzini Region, Eswatini

Abstract

Aims: Smallholder beekeepers play an important role especially livelihood of the rural and semi-urban communities of Eswatini yet the enterprise attracts less beekeeping farmers. This study aims at contributing to the existing literature related to socio-economics analysis of beekeeping farmers and their impact on production, and highlights the opinion on challenges and opportunities of small scale beekeeping farmers. Study Design & Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional research design was employed in the study across the region with the main objective of determining the socio-demographic factors and output of beekeeping farmers. The study engaged 47 randomly selected beekeepers and random sampling technique was used. The study employed the multiple regression models to analyse the factors affecting honey production among small-scale beekeeping farmers. Results: The results indicate that majority (70.2%) of respondents were male apiculture farmers, averagely aged 32 years old, attained secondary education (51.0%), majority of interviewed farmers had less than 5 years of experience in apiculture, and about 31% of the small scale beekeeping farmers used traditional and Swazi top bar hives. The results also revealed that a large percentage of farmers obtained only between E1,001 and E2,500 in income from the beekeeping farming. The regression model results indicated that experiences in beekeeping and number of hives were significantly related to honey produced by the beekeeping farmers.  The results also revealed that apiculture farmers interviewed indicated that they had poor access to technical support, limited access government support, poor access to financial credit, use of ICT in marketing their produce and limited access to extension services related to beekeeping. Recommendations: This study recommends that in addition to improved access to beekeeping financial support and number of bee hives, the government, private sector and other organisations promoting improved livelihoods of smallholder beekeeping farmers should formulated and implement strategies aimed at increased access to extension services mostly related to technical support and use of digital technology to enable increased production and marketing of farmers’ output.