BEE HEALTH PROJECT PROGRESS REPORT

Transcription

1 BEE HEALTH PROJECT PROGRESS REPORT (1 st April-30 th September 2014) OCTOBER 2014 NAIROBI, KENYA 1

2 1. INTRODUCTION The EU and AU-IBAR signed the Contribution Agreement for the implementation of AU- IBAR s component of the project in December 2013: Through its component, AU-IBAR will enhance awareness on the honeybee health and conducive environment for enhanced bee disease control, access to markets, and consumer safety and also strengthen capacity of beekeepers, farmers federations, RECs and NARS on bee health management systems and policy options through the below components: Result 3: Enhanced awareness on the honeybee health and conducive environment for enhanced bee disease control, access to markets, and consumer safety created. Activity 3.1 Organize effective multi-stakeholder partnerships and mechanisms for the development of policy, institutional and market options for bee health and pollination services for food security Activity 3.2. Develop policy and regulatory frameworks for sustainable bee health, apiculture and pollination services at national, regional and continental levels in tight connection with OIE and RECs. Activity 3.3. Carry out environmental impact study on bees and pollination services. Activity 3.4. Enhance capacities for timely collection, analysis and sharing of accurate sanitary information; this activity will consist of strengthening the capacity of National veterinary services for early detection, timely notification/reporting, prevention and control of bee diseases. Activity 3.5. Strengthen Africa s participation in standard setting organizations (OIE and Codex Alimentarius) on standards setting process for bees and bee products. Activity 3.6. Identify market constraints and opportunities for honey and hive products and investment opportunities of bee products and pollination services Result 4: Capacity of beekeepers/farmers federations, RECs and NARS on bee health management systems and policy options strengthened Activity 4.1. Establish or strengthen producer organizations for input supply management and cooperative marketing Activity 4.2. Enhance the capacity of beekeepers associations to acquire information and utilize improved bee health technologies/innovations. Activity 4.3. Develop a database on pollination services and bee health research and development outputs. Activity 4.4. Strengthen the capacities of NARS and RECs to analyze the value chain of pollination services and priority beehive products 2

3 Activity 4.5. Develop and promote bee health knowledge management systems The above AU-IBAR s components are implemented within the strategic programme 2 on Animal Resource Production System and Ecosystem Management of the institutions strategic plan This report presents achievements made by bee project during the six months (1 st April- 30 th September 2014). 2. PROJECT PROGRESS Activity 3.1: Organize effective multi-stakeholder partnerships and mechanisms for the development of policy, institutional and market options for bee health and pollination services for food security MSPs have been defined as Decision-making bodies (voluntary or statutory) comprising different stakeholders who perceive the same resource management problem, realize their interdependence for solving it, and come together to agree on action strategies for solving the problem. Though individual MSPs can be very different, the generic objective of an MSP is to enable the empowered and active participation of stakeholders in the search for solutions to a common problem. The absence of a clear policy for apiculture development in various AU-MS couple with many institutional challenges and non-involvement of beekeepers in the policy making is a great threat and constrain to honey bee production, bee health, crops pollination, and trade of bee hive products in Africa. Many socio-economic developments and environmental changes which are taking place together with macro-economic policy reforms have increased concern on environmental conservation for sustainable development of the beekeeping industry and imposed the urgency and the necessity of the formulation of an Beekeeping Policy at national, regional and continental level, that will take into inter-sectorial cooperation and coordination which will enhance the sustainable management of bee and foraging plants resources in and around agricultural farms, forest and wildlife protected areas. The inclusive and participatory formulation of these Beekeeping Policies will be the entry point to improve the management of honey bee pollinator for a sustainable food security in Africa. This justify the establishment of MSP that will serve as a platform for consultation, dialogue and inclusive and participatory decision making 3

4 Achievement: The process of establishment of the Bee Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships Platform was Launch in Naivasha from September 2014 and the meeting was attended by 41 Participants from 20 African Union Member States (Algeria, Burkina-Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe). Participants were (officers from the Ministry in charge of honey bee production, beekeepers associations, private sectors, NGOs, Scientists). The overall objective of the multi-stakeholders platforms (MSP) workshop was to launch the process of establishment of MSP on honey production, pollination services and bee health in Africa that will improve policy and institutional environment, enhance coordination, and advocacy for honeybee health and other pollinators to food security and improved livelihoods. The meeting express concerns on six priority issues as follow: Excessive use of insecticides and pesticides due to intensification of agriculture. Absence of surveillance, monitoring and control of bee diseases and pests due to little knowledge on bee diseases and pests. Lack of accredited laboratories for testing of honey and other beehive products. Lack of reliable apiculture data in order to guide investment and planning and to show the importance of the sector for livelihood. Weak intra-country and intra-regional trade of beehive products between African countries. Absence of national apiculture policies in many African countries and lack of regional and continental African policy framework for honey bee production and pollination services. At the end of the deliberations the meeting: Recommended the publication of the Status of Apiculture in Africa, 2014 ; this will serve as baseline data information recommended to harmonize methods for apiculture data collection and analyze; this could be done by developing a strategy for improve data collection and analysis in apiculture in Africa; Requested the creation of a bee module in ARIS 2 and that will also serve as a repository for all relevant bee policies 4

5 Recommended to undertake studies to demonstrate the contribution of bees to improved livelihoods (income generation), poverty reduction and food security. This will be used as advocacy document. Recommended to document farmer led extensions pilot case study of Uganda for dissemination in other AU-MS Agreed on the name of the platform as ApiAfrica Agreed on the objective of the ApiAfrica (MSP) will be to improve honey bee production, pollination services and bee health among AU MS and enhance its contribution to food security and poverty alleviation. Its specific objectives will be to: Facilitate collaboration and cooperation within bee value chain stakeholders including sharing of best practices and lessons learnt; policy making, improve and promote apiculture sectors growth. Serve as advocacy tool to influence AU Summit to develop and protect African bee resources (through appropriate policies), increase investment and facilitate access to market Agreed on the following structure for the MSP o Advisory Group or Steering Committee, o Working group and o Support team Established a preparatory committee, that will o Refine the objective and Role of the MSP o Prepare the TORs of the Governance organs 5

6 o Develop criteria for the selection of the member of the governance organs o and prepare the work plan for the 1 st year activity of the MSP Activity 3.2: Develop policy and regulatory frameworks for sustainable bee health, apiculture and pollination services at national, regional and continental levels in tight connection with OIE and RECs Inventory of policy and regulatory frameworks in MS is ongoing and has been completed in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Madagascar, Rwanda and Zimbabwe. Policy intervention entry points have been identified as follow: Development of guidelines on the use of pesticides in MS. Development of guidelines that includes bee health issues into annual diseases control in the country. Promote incentive and value addition for beehive products. Quality control of honey and beehives products Activity 3.4: Enhance capacities for timely collection, analysis and sharing of accurate sanitary information; this activity will consist of strengthening the capacity of National veterinary services for early detection, timely notification/reporting, prevention and control of bee diseases Two training sessions on bee diseases were organize (one in English and one in French). In total 47 out of 54AU Member State participated represented by two officers each. The training in English was held from 31 st March 4 th April 2014 at icipe campus in Nairobi, Kenya. The training in English was attended by 39 participants from 24 AU Members State whereas the French training was held from 23 rd 27 th June 2014 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and was attended by 45 participants from 25 AU Members State. Each country was represented by the head of the epidemiology unit and a veterinarian based at a bee station. The objective of the training was to build capacity of officers in the directorate of veterinary services in AU-Members State for identification and diagnostic of bee diseases, for early detection and timely reporting of bee disease outbreaks as part of the disease reporting assignment of the directorate of veterinary services. 6

7 The trainings were organized around three thematic areas: Thematic I: Create awareness and enhance knowledge on bee biology, research methods and certification. 7

8 THEMATIC II: Surveillance, early detection and timely reporting of honeybee diseases and pests THEMATIC III: Prevention and control of bee diseases and pests 8

9 Practical sessions on surveillance, early detection and timely reporting of honeybee diseases and Field sampling 9

10 Laboratory demonstrations with mock samples; to give opportunity to trainees to familiarized themselves with microscopes observations and differentiations of bee pests; use of other techniques to diagnose bees diseases and pests Activity 3.6: Identify market constraints and opportunities for honey and hive products and investment opportunities of bee products and pollination services Honey bee value chains have been assessed in 4 countries Ethiopia, Madagascar, Tanzania and Egypt. The objectives of this assessment were: Key findings From the assessment of the honey value chain: in Ethiopia, Madagascar, Tanzania and Egypt those are the common problems: Limited uptake to novel technologies in beekeeping, Lack of production equipment s, lack of improved beekeeping management techniques, Limited diffusion of new technologies in beekeeping, Loss of bee habitat due to deforestation, Lack input supply problems, Diseases and pests, Quality of bee hive products, Adulteration, pulverisation using DTT to fight Locusts invasion and mosquitos in Madagascar and Pass Honey Residue Monitoring Plan. Observation in some MS lack of a clear policy in apiculture in various coupled with many institutional challenges and non-involvement of beekeepers association in the policy making who constitute a great threat and constrain to honey bee production, bee health, crops pollination, and trade of bee hive products The example of bee reserve in Tanzania seen to be one of the best practice other MS can follow. 10

11 Opportunities Besides the challenges mentioned below, the main opportunities for beekeeping development in those countries are: Huge potential (local honeybee races and forages) to increase honey; Availability of potential flowering plants in the country; Water availability; Enabling government policy for the sector; Diverse agro-ecology (flora) and favorable climatic condition; Existence of actors (beekeepers, emerging processors, exporters and private sector actors) Formation of functional dialogue forums between actors (MSPs at regional and national level); Some NGOs are also giving more attention to the sub sector; The establishment of bee products development and marketing cooperatives and union.; Indigenous beekeepers knowledge & experience; Market demand for bee products; Residue monitoring plan submitted and approved since 2008 and Ethiopia being put under EU third country listing to export honey to EU market. 11

12 Constraints Main constraints of apiculture sub sector in those visited MS can be classified in four distinguish group namely: biological; technical, trade and lastly policy & institutional constraints Biological constraints Biological constraints in those visited MS include honeybee diseases, pests and parasites, the loss of indigenous species and habitat diversity, and problems arising because of pesticides use. The main pests affecting beekeeping in MS are summarized below. Predators and pests: Diseases Other problems Mammals: honey badger, bee-eater Insects: ants, wax moth & small hive beetles Mites: Varroa mite destructor, Spiders & pseudo scorpions: spider, Birds: birds Viruses: Fungi: chalk brood Bacteria: Ethiopia free for honeybee brood diseases Protozoa: amoeba & nosema. Pesticide poisoning Shortage of bee forage Shortage of bee colony Technical constraints Technical constraints facing MS beekeepers concern lack of knowledge of appropriate methods for managing their bee races and species, lack of appropriately skilled trainers, materials and training possibilities, and lack of dissemination of new research information, and relating to disease control. Trade constraints Trade constraints faced by producer groups in those MS often include problems arising because of the remoteness of producers from suppliers, traders and technical advisers, the often-small volumes of products, and difficulties of obtaining pre-finance for honey purchase, packaging and marketing. It also has been observed that in many regions the marketing system of honey has many problems. Most of the local markets are far away from the beekeepers and are inaccessible. Another trade constraint could be the fact that each year the candidate exporting country must provide Honey Residue Monitoring Plan who can only be done by an International Accredited Laboratory and this is costly for players. 12

13 Policy & institutional constraints MS has a development strategy and policy in apiculture but some institutional constraints include the weakness of producer organizations and lack of resources (personnel, laboratories) to support the industry: to analyse products, certify for export. The lack of Infrastructure to monitor, certify and enable trade in honey and beeswax is also lacking in the country. This has implications for the apiculture industry as so much honey and beeswax tend to be traded informally and never reach official trade statistics. Challenges Major challenges along honey bee value chain in Africa arise from bee characteristics, environmental factors that are beyond the control of the beekeepers. Some of them are mentioned below: How will bee colonies survive to the increased use of pesticides and insecticides necessary to increase crop productivity and production to feed the growing population? How will African beekeepers tap into the growing markets of honey bee and bee hives products, especially the Bio or Eco-honey? How will African apiculture sector contribute to increased regional trade and in Africa in large? How will Africa apiculture sector contribute to significantly enhanced livelihoods in the poorest region of Africa? 13

14 How will Africa be prevented from the colony losses experienced in other parts of the world? Key recommendations from the assessment of value chains Africa needs to tap on the urge potential they have by extending the honey production to other AU-MS and other regions of the countries producers; Strengthening the extension activity in bee keeping to exploit the potential of each MS; Conduct study on the existing apiculture input supply system to develop innovative methods of input supply system in study in African country; Find a long term solution to the problem of increased use of pesticides and insecticides necessary to increase crop productivity. Way forward Beehive products exporters believe that it will be a good think for the whole apiculture sector in Africa that the four Bee Health laboratories and the reference laboratory became at long run an International Accredited Laboratory for residue analysis tests who is the 1 st requirement to export and it s costly; Formulation of Pan-African Apiculture Policy Framework due to lack of a clear policy in apiculture in various AU-MS; Need of the development of a continental strategy for apiculture data collection and analysis to show case proof; Urgency of an environmental impact assessment study on bees and pollination services in africa because today industrial agriculture to feed the growing population is increasingly exposed bees to a cocktail of more toxic pesticide. 14

15 Challenges in project implementation Need to harmonize/align interventions with icipe who started implementation of its components in June 2013 Ebola outbreaks in West Africa that has prevented the assessment of bee value chain in West Africa especially in Liberia and Burkina Faso that host satellite laboratories Next steps: Fast track the assessment of policies and institutional frameworks Launch the Multi Stakeholders Platform (MSP) Mainstream honey bee production and pollination services in the food security agenda of the AU through the CAADP 15