CHARCOAL BURNING VERSUS BEEKEEPING

Charcoal burning is one of the oldest human crafts. As an occupation, it has almost died out in the first world countries. On the other hand, it has increased in most of the third world countries among the rural poor.

This article seeks to highlight the comparative advantages of beekeeping over charcoal burning as a craft.

Charcoal is a lightweight, black residue, consisting of carbon and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Traditionally this is achieved by carbonizing wood in a charcoal pile or kiln.

Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen.

Historically, the production of wood charcoal in locations where there is an abundance of wood dates back to a very ancient period, and generally consists of piling billets of wood, openings being left at the bottom to admit air. The whole pile is covered with soil or moistened clay. The firing is begun at the bottom and gradually spreads outwards and upwards. The success of the operation depends upon the rate of the combustion. Under average conditions, 100 parts of wood yield about 60 parts by volume, or 25 parts by weight, of charcoal; small-scale production on the spot often yields only about 50%. The operation is so delicate.

A quick survey as to why charcoal burning is more rampant among the rural poor has revealed the following perceived advantages of the craft:

(i)                It provides quick income against no monetary capital investment apart from physical labour input.

(ii)             The product has ready market among the urban dwellers with the demand being propelled by the high cost of other forms of energy such as electricity.

On the other hand, charcoal burning has many demerits. Among them are the following:

(i)                The use of charcoal as a fuel has been experiencing a resurgence resulting in severe environmental, social and medical problems.

(ii)             Charcoal production is one of the causes of deforestation. Massive forest destruction has been documented in some areas such as forest reserves where it is considered a primary threat to the survival of the flora and fauna.

(iii)           It is labour intensive

(iv)            Low income compared to capital (labour) input

(v)              Wood is a wasting resource hence once the trees are cut, no more further production of charcoal in that particular area.

Beekeeping offers massive cross-cutting benefits to the beekeeper, humanity in general and the environment. The fact that beekeeping can be very simple and low cost yet profitable, gender and age inclusive, non-extractive and sustainable,- makes it worthy of serious consideration of every farmer who wants to attain optimum productivity and to everybody else who believes in development through sustainable, efficient and effective utilization of resources at humanity’s disposal.

Some benefits of beekeeping include:-

(i)                BEEKEEPING GENERATES INCOME

Beekeeping is an excellent activity as an income generating venture. Hive  products of honey, beeswax, pollen, propolis, bee venom and their derivatives are valuable products fetching high prices. Although honey is the most popularly known hive product, it is in fact the least valuable in monetary terms by volume compared to other hive products.

Income from beekeeping is resilient and available against a background of minimal capital investment. Bees are freely available in the wild and do not depend upon the beekeeper for food. Income from beekeeping can be classified as passive income; a beekeeper can just make an initial investment and thereafter reap the benefits repeatedly. Beekeeping does not need to be full time, it can be attended to when and as time allows. It can be done side by side with other activities and it does not compete with other agricultural activities for resources

(ii)             BEEKEEPING ENHANCES CROP YIELDS AND PRODUCTIVITY

Albert Einstein once famously declared that, “if the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four (4) years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”

Many plant species depend upon insects, of which the bee is a very efficient pollinator, for pollination. Pollination failure in these plant species can lead to serious crop failure, just as can result from drought, poor soil fertility or disease or pest infestation.

Adequate pollination therefore directly affects crop productivity. It should be in the interest of every farmer to maintain strong populations of honeybees and other pollinating agents in order to ensure optimal results from their crops, and there is no better way to achieve this than by owning one’s own honeybee colonies

(iii)           BEEKEEPING PROVIDES IMPORTANT PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Bee products are food

Bee products of honey, pollen and their derivatives are highly nutritious foods. Modern science proves that these are not just ordinary food but are in fact wonder foods.

Experienced farmers appreciate the importance of producing crops which contribute to the domestic food security as opposed to crops which are just produced for commercial ends. As a beekeeper, honey is the basic hive product you are able to produce with ease. Owning a few colonies can easily make you self-sufficient for hive products.

Bee products are important industrial raw materials

Beeswax has more than 300 industrial uses. Honey is used in the manufacture of many secondary products like breakfast cereals, honey wines and beers, confectionery products and other value added products. Propolis has extensive use with the pharmaceutical industry.

(iv)BEEKEEPING OFFERS SERIOUS COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES

As a developmental or economic tool, beekeeping offers serious advantages compared with other activities.

It is non-extractive & sustainable

Beekeeping offers a good way of deriving economic benefits from natural resources without damaging them. Actually, beekeeping contributes to biodiversity maintenance and conservation through pollination and environmental conservation measures undertaken by beekeepers.  It also optimizes land use where waste lands and agriculturally unproductive areas are used for keeping bees.

It is Gender, Age and Class Inclusive

Beekeeping can be undertaken by men and women of all ages and social classes. It’s low cost and simplicity makes it accessible to the young and the old, men and women, the resource handicapped and the privileged – all alike.

Why not consider beekeeping as an alternative to charcoal burning?

This information is brought to you in the community service of Al – Apis ConceptsLtd.

For your questions and clarifications from this feature, contact the author on 0967 419 551/0954 186 973 Email: apisconcepts@gmail.com. For all your beekeeping requirements contact Al-Apis Concepts Ltd. Phone: +260 966 474757

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