From: wsargeant@IGC.ORG (Winslow L. Sargeant)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS:Burkino Faso, beekeeping brings wom'
Date: 10 Apr 92 15:00:01 GMT

/* Written  6:03 am  Apr 10, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "BURKINA FASO: BEEKEEPING BRINGS WOM" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Area: Agriculture
Reference: Women
Title: BURKINA FASO: BEEKEEPING BRINGS WOMEN TO THE FORE


an inter press service feature

by debra anthony

tougankoura, burkina faso, apr 7 (ips) -- bintou sao complains
that she is tired of using a hoe to plant her fields.

''i want a mechanical plough now'', she says laughing with
all the other men and women who consider her comment audacious.

but it is this audacity that has given sao the leadership of
the local women's group which is concerned primarily with income
generating projects in burkina faso.

the projects have been so successful that they has changed
the attitude of several of the men in this village of 86
families.

''before, men were ruling the house and we gave some
authority to women. but now we find that the new women's work is
contributing to the family. times are changing and this is why
we have permitted women to help us rule the family'', says adama
zalla, a 48-year-old farmer.

zalla's comments are greeted with nods and smiles from the
other villagers assembled at the lone grocery shop in this dusty
sahelian town.

''this situation has helped men more than women'', continues
zalla. ''we used to think that with economic independence women
would not respect their husbands and help their family. we now
find that the family is better off. that is why we want our
women to practice all kinds of occupations that help the
family''.

the main income generating project for the women of
tougankoura, about 290 kms southwest of the capital,
ouagadougou, is cash crop growing. but the rains have been
erratic this season and the women have given up growing
vegetables.

two years ago, sao and the 16 other women in her group
volunteered to take part in a u.n. food and agriculture
organisation (fao) financed beekeeping project. it is this
project which is sustaining some of the families in the absence
of vegetable growing.

the group administers 15 hives and, according to sao, earns
enough money from this project to buy the vegetables they need
for their families. (more/ips)


burkina faso: beekeeping (2)

''we no longer have to depend on our husbands for money for
the daily cooking'', the 40-year-old mother of seven says. ''we
can provide better food for our children and we use the wax to
make candles and give our children the honey. everyone knows
honey is better for them than sugar''.

the women have a guaranteed market in the project. honey is
bought from them at 500 cfa francs per kilo. (one u.s. dollar
is equivalent to 270 cfa francs).

''we have no problem reselling the honey because the quality
is high and the price, at 1,000 cfa francs per jar, is low'',
says outtara sou, one of the government technical experts with
the project.

the project acquires loans for the women to set up their
beehives. it trains them to harvest and filter the honey and, by
1993, will allow them to market their product on their own, sou
says.

''we buy the honey from them, primarily to make sure that
they have sufficient money to pay back their bank loans''.

before pulling out of marketing, however, he says, the
project will get the producers in touch with their consumers.

sao's group it is satisfied with the progress of the project.
it has allowed them to earn additional money to reinvest into
group projects as well as spend on their families.

''the project has gone well. we need some money to buy more
protective clothing so that we can collect the honey, but so far
we are doing alright'', says sao.

after a slight pause she continues, ''what i really want now
is for enough rain to come so that i can grow my vegetables and
that plough which will make things a little easier''.
(end/ips/da/ar/apc/92)


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