Universität zu Köln

Mwaka, Innocent (2014). Bee-keeping and honey production as alternative livelihood strategies among the Pokot of Baringo County, Kenya. Masters thesis, Universität zu Köln.

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Abstract

Mwaka’s MA thesis is a study on an alternative livelihood strategy which (formerly) pastoral households took to during the past two decades. Honey harvesting has been a traditional livelihood strategy among Pokot pastoralists. However, honey was only harvested by a very limited number of specialized people. Traditionally, it were individuals of specific patri-lineal clans who dealt with honey harvesting preferably. In recent years a number of development projects propagated the commoditization of honey. Apparently honey is widely available in large quantities due to the specific structure of the bush/tree vegetation. Since the 1980s development projects have preached that the abundance of honey as a resource should be used to improve food security. Improved hives were advertised widely and apparently got used throughout the region. Due to flaring prices for honey on urban markets incentives were high to invest more time into honey production. In some communities the income from honey production seems to parallel incomes from livestock husbandry. It is interesting that apparently communities which – due to ecological givens – did not have a chance to diversify into the direction of agriculture, keenly took the chance to take up honey production.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters thesis)
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Mwaka, Innocent UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-85881
Series Name at the University of Cologne:	Culture and Environment in Africa Series
Volume:	4
Date:	2014
ISSN:	2194-1556
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Fächergruppe 4: Außereuropäische Sprachen, Kulturen und Gesellschaften > Institut für Ethnologie
Subjects:	Customs, etiquette, folklore
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language Kenya, Pastoralism, Bee-Keeping, Livelihood Diversification, MA thesis UNSPECIFIED Kenia, Pastoralismus, Bienenzucht, Diversifizierung des Lebensunterhaltes, Masterarbeit UNSPECIFIED
Date of oral exam:	2014
Referee:	Name Academic Title Bollig, Michael Prof. Dr.
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/8588