Beekeeping as a rural development alternative in Turkish Northwest

Abstract

Turkey is one of the best areas for beekeeping because of its geography, climate, and the diversity of flora and fauna. Beekeeping is a traditional and socio-economic activity which is performed throughout Anatolia and has a place in our culture. Besides this, bee-keeping is very important to protect biodiversity and pass it onto the next generations, and also to provide and enhance food security. There are more than 100,000 families with 6.6 million colonies in Turkey. With all those, bee-keeping contributes to Turkish economy around US$ 5-6 billion, not only through bee products but also pollination. As a part of the national policy, ORKÖY (the office of forest-village relations) provides micro-credits to villagers, who live in and around forested areas. In this study, ORKOY branch office distributed 30 beehives to 80 villagers with beekeeping certificates (in 2016 and 2017) and let them put their hives in the “honey forest” which was established in the region by the Forest Directorate. Face-to-face surveys, interviews and observations were conducted with 80 participants who benefited from beehive support and “honey forest.” At the end of the study, socio-economic effects and welfare improvement of local people through beekeeping and producing of bee products are analyzed in the northwest of Turkey.