Inviato da Valentin AGON President of API-BENIN in data 26 Maggio 1999:

API-BENIN

N.G.O. GENERAL AND TROPICAL BEE KEEPING PROMOTE

BP : 2111 ABOMEY Rép BENIN (OUEST AFRIQUE)

Tél ( 229) 51 09 24

API-BENIN, CCP: 331 30 COTONOU Rép. BENIN

E-mail : apibenin@leland.bj

Dear bees people

Beekeepers and bee keeping organisms.

I’m happy to succeed sending you this letter. Our organism API-BENIN is a N.G.O., It’s a general and tropical bee keeping promotion and search center. We promote bee keeping in rural areas in Benin . We train gratuity farmers for they could associate bee keeping and agriculture to complete their agricultural out put. Benin, our country has an economy essentially based on agriculture. And this agriculture, exercised by rural population with rudimental means is essentially a subsistence agriculture. This rural population, essentially (mainly) adapted to agriculture, is living in up setting poverty. The 1997 AFVP- BENIN activity report shows it. " A seemly a life for the majority of BENIN population is not a reality, only a hope, through a quotidian fight, that is not often wined. Poverty increases bitterly. The daily fight attests it, and figures confirm it. The 1997 report on human development of Benin indicates that 34% of BENIN population (that is to say 3,3 millions of persons) live extremely precarious life. The majority of poor are in field (70% of BENIN population) ". This poor rural population, having no over source of revenue than agriculture devote themselves mainly during the dry season (agriculture-free period) to the hunt and coal commerce occasioning bush fire that destroys the forests. Cause out standing deforestation and accelerates the prominence of menacing desert.

Only the valorisation of natural resources can improve the life conditions of the rural population in Benin. However, natural resources such as the nectar and the pollen are really unknown in Benin and daily tons of nectar that could be transformed into honey and tons of pollen (undeniable source of protein (11 to 35%) are lost in the nature. The valorisation of those resources will, first generate interests to poor peasants during the dry season (an agricultural inactivity period). But will be a mean convincing to fight against ecosystem destruction in Benin, that will permit a durable environmental protection. So then, it’s imperative to train peasants in associating bee keeping to agriculture to help them having a complementary activity to agriculture to help them having a complementary activity to agriculture that must be exercised with respect and protection for nature and that generates important revenues. Benin is a country that has important bee keeping potentiality ; as wish it’s vegetation of savannah, it’s tropical climate to gather with ecological conditions, it’s a bee kingdom : wild swarms abound in the nature and it’s for that reason API-BENIN is fighting for bee keeping promotion in Benin. We have just trained 450 peasants, 75% of which are engaged in bee keeping with rudimentary means. We have gained 9000 euros (US $ 10090) from NETHERLAND to support 60 peasants with 240 Dadant hives. The French co-operation Mission in going to finance us for the realisation of substructures of our apiary school in July 1999.

We hop skiing for bee keeper’s support, bee keeping associations and Non governmental organisms for the following needs :

Bee keepers and bee keeping organism would be so kind as to help peasants bee keepers (the poorest) that we have trained, sending us bee keeping used, second hand materiels : extractor, maturators, refractorator, protection cloves, gloves, sifters, bees brush… etc.

Our organism API-BENIN also has essential needs :

We are from a French-speaking country. And for that reason, we have difficulties to collaborate and to keep correspondences with English bee keepers and organisms. We have just find a school were we are going to be trained in English at United kingdom (Abbey Christian School, 16a Abbey Road, London NW8 9BD ENGLAND, E-mail: info@abbeycs.prestel.co.uk ). But we don’t have financially means to go for it. We are expecting financially help from bee keepers so that some of API-BENIN members can go to be trained that school. We want you to contact, will you, please, the responsible of that school to make him known your in our advantage. Me, as I am president of API-BENIN, I really need for it to be able to accomplish my role of president and co-ordinator of bee keeping profits in Benin.

We are informing you that I am invited, to gather with one of my collaborators at APIMONDIA at Vancouver in Canada in next September (12 to 18) but we have no means to go for the invitation. we hope such a world wide congress shall provide us numerous things. We are expecting help from bee keepers and bee keeping organism to be able to go for that congress at which we are probably going to meet.

We are also asking for your multiply our production apiaries in Benin so that we could be financially independent in our bee keeping activities in Benin.

We are informing you that we are promoting women training in bee keeping, Africans women practices bee keeping and is very happy for it produces important revenues. They use honey and pollen to cure certain nutritional diseases for children, they use propolis as medicine (antibiotic) for curing viral affection, stomach disease and much other illnesses. At the third millennium staying up, we have to favorise BENIN women who are looking for socio-economic blooming, to have for themselves, their own source of revenue that can help them to intervene financially at home, and the combined efforts of both man and woman could help the family getting out of increasing poverty.We will be pleased if you would have to help also women bee keepers in Benin.

Here are the results of the help we are looking for peasants. Hence forward, as for as finances, bee keeping activity, trough the selling of it’s products can help peasants to get money during the end of dry season, start of raining season. This soldering period at which alimentary reserve are over and the first cultures are just started. Is the period of the high-test homey in Benin. Let’s remind that honey is a first choice aliment, very estimated in Benin. These peasants will also benefit pollination action of bees. The developing of there activity can otherwise, as modestly as it will be, improve the alimentary level of these peasants. Homey contents more than 80% of sugared substances and pollen, not yet exploited in Benin is a real source of protein (11 to 35%). Last this support will permit peasant to have their socio-economic blooming.

Long term, the impact of your help will be measured on ecology. Those peasants supported when they will notice the importance that assists in bee keeping and flowers existing in the field, flower quantity / honey quantity, they surely stop causing bush fire that decimates plants and flowers and they take position against such practices each in they fields. They will known that honeyed (abundant flowers periods, when bees stock provision) is in the dry season ( bush fire period) and fighting against bash fire, they will get an important honey production. Also will they realise they have to grow tries for honey from only one flower (flower’s honey ) At the end this realising of value, will, for the peasants be very favourable to the protection of ecosystem. This will engage also reforestation in our areas that are going on deforestation.

Bee keeping will then be most considerable on a sure means fighting deforestation and fighting desert.

Receive our bee keeper’s salutation.

Valentin AGON

President of API-BENIN
BP : 2111 ABOMEY Republic of BENIN

(Afrique de l’ouest)

E.mail :apibenin@leland.bj

TEL : +229 51 09 24