Nigeria
the most populous country in Africa is situated in the west of the continent,
it is divided into six geopolitical zones the South west, South east, South
south, North west, North east and North central. The three last zones
constitute the main northern region of the country.
The
region has many indigenous tribes such as Hausa, Fulani in the majority and
other smaller tribes. One beautiful thing about this region is the fact that
her people are predominantly serious farmers cultivating in maize, rice,
millet, sorghum, beans, yam and groundnuts and as well as in little quantity of
a cassava specie known as rogo for its cooking into yam like delicacy.
In
their agricultural pursuits, bee keeping is most prestigious, popular and well
practiced. The numbers of Beekeepers in the northern part of Nigeria are so
numerous that in a small village of One thousand villagers there could exist
about Forty five practitioners.
Due
to the phenomenon of global demand for pure natural honey commodity and the
ever rise in sales price, practitioners continue to be on the increase in this
region.
Before
emphasising the global warming and climate change that is a blessing to this
region in Nigeria, there is the need to describe how beekeeping is practiced.
The
Northern Nigeria is predominantly sahara/desert in term of vegetation where big
and medium trees abound every where with the exception of some scanty jungles
in some few states of the region as we have in Bornu, Taraba, Niger, Adamawa
and some few other places.
On
this sahara desert like environment, their crops performs better on the loose
and dry soil for the farmers and a-top on the trees the Beekeepers hangs their
hives between branches and well tightened with ropes to secure their stability.
On
a single big tree about two to four hives can be well positioned. Due to the
Sahara desert nature of this region, their bee swarms targeting the trees as
available jungles where they can possibly fund habitations, and readily these
hives are waiting for them to occupy.
The
global warming, climate change has been of benefit to this region in term of
plenty honey every time mainly because of the following.
1.
The region is always very hot with little rain yearly unlike in the other three
geopolitical zones where there is rain that last for months every year with low
humidity and not much of serious sun that will allow the stuffed honey to get
the much expected heat from the sun to promote good matured honey before
another rainy period starts to crawl in gradually.
2.
The world experiences dusty and dry atmosphere now as been seen in China, India
and other places but in this region the day to day atmosphere has been similar
in nature with a lot of dusty winds blowing regularly on frequent intervals.
In
conclusion that is based on my research work as a Nigerian from the south west
region and who has been keeping bees for the past twenty four years now is that
global warming, climate change that the world is experiencing now is in
consonant with what the northern Nigeria bees are used to and thereby doing
better in honey production, producing more of young bees that continue to keep
their existence on.
More info @:Solacehoney.blogspot.com
Contact:
Solacehoney@gmail.com
+2348032800119,
+2348127062706
No comments:
Post a Comment