Quest for economic development in agrarian localities: Lessons from West Nile, Uganda

This paper describes the transformations that have taken place in the honey production and marketing in West Nile since the launch of the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) programme in 2001. In pursuing local economic development, emphasis has been placed on community-based development and the formation of clusters of survival enterprises. <br /><br />The West Nile initiative organised regional beekeepers into groups for effective participation, planning and management. Communities were sensitised to available opportunities to address constraints to production. Strategies for apiary management, honey processing and packaging were developed. Collective production and bulk marketing were stimulated and linkages with buyers and micro-credit providers were built. <br /><br />Participation of the central government, development organisations and the communities has been important as have been public-private partnerships: interventions by Bee Natural Product Ltd made producers think about marketing, post harvest handling and packaging which are critical to market success. <br /><br />The West Nile initiative has created dynamics in the local economy and diversified households' sources of livelihood. New and better technologies have been introduced and localised. The image of the region has been boosted which further attracts buyers. Overall, beekeeping in the region is a profitable enterprise that can enhance poor households' incomes, provided there is access to micro-credit. To preserve momentum, local governments have to put in place an inclusive regional agency to mobilise and harmonise the interests, efforts and resources of the various actors.