One hundred million honeybees will say it with flowers in African countries from this year after Bothar, the Limerick-based charity, brings hives to impoverished families. The charity, established 10 years ago to donate livestock and set up breeding programmes, began the honeybee project last month in conjunction with the US-based charity, Heifer Project International.
It involves the purchase of boxes and equipment for 1,000 families in Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, and providing training and backup support for up to three years. It costs about £100 to set up each family with three hives.
"We set up a special type of hive in which we have sweet things that will attract wild bees. The bees themselves will swarm and start a hive and then you start to farm them in the old-fashioned way," Mr Peter Ireton, Bothar's general secretary, said. The project's value is not just in the honey and bees-wax, which provides income for families, but in pollination.
"The bees' biggest contribution will be in the pollination of both vegetable and fruit crops. Strategically placed bee-hives can as much as double the crop of certain fruits and vegetables. A properly administered beekeeping project can be of benefit to a whole village," he said.
Last week, Bothar presented a $50,000 cheque to the Heifer Project in Little Rock, Arkansas. The two charities are co-operating in Uganda, the first country where Bothar is setting up the scheme and where more than 500 Irish cows have been sent.