Nabdam: The Forum for Natural Regeneration (FONAR) has organised a three-day modern beekeeping training for 20 Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) Lead Farmers in the Dasang and Kparaboug communities in Nabdam District of the Upper East Region. A total of 20 participants, including 10 men and 10 women drawn from the two communities, were trained in modern beekeeping, honey harvesting techniques, bee product processing, packaging, and basic marketing and record-keeping skills.
According to Ghana News Agency, the training also included sensitisation on ecological benefits of bees and the role of beekeeping in protecting sensitive tree species like the shea. It aimed at promoting sustainable livelihoods and enhancing environmental conservation among farmers while creating awareness that modern beekeeping could be effectively used to deter elephants from raiding their crops which had been the case over the years.
The training formed part of Phase Two of the FMNR for Women Economic and Livelihood Improvement Project (FMNR4WELIP), designed to empower smallholder farmers, particularly women, through viable alternative income-generating activities such as beekeeping and agro-processing and it is funded by the Awaken Trees Foundation of Austria. Mr Sumaila Saaka, Executive Director of FONAR, said the initiative leverages beekeeping as a practical solution to poverty, food insecurity, and deforestation in rural areas.
Mr Saaka explained that beekeeping offers additional benefits such as improved crop yields through pollination and serves as a natural deterrent to elephants that disrupt tree restoration efforts along the Red Volta West Forest Reserve Wildlife Movement Corridor. 'Beehive fences have been proven effective in places like Kenya, reducing elephant crop raids by up to 86 percent during peak seasons. This training is both an environmental and economic intervention,' Mr Saaka added.
As part of the training outcomes, four lead farmers, including two men and two women, have been selected to pilot the beekeeping initiative with each to receive two modern beehives and essential processing equipment to serve as demonstration hubs for peer learning. FONAR has also conducted two community engagements to raise awareness about the value of bees and beekeeping for both livelihoods and environmental sustainability.
Mr Saaka reaffirmed FONAR's commitment to working with rural communities to regenerate degraded lands and build climate resilience through practical, low-cost interventions like Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration and beekeeping.
