Apiculture and Conservation Opportunities: The Case of Sayinga-Kasena-Gavara-Kara

Authors

  • Nana Owusu-Ansah Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission of Ghana
  • Nikhil Agarwal Swiss Management Center University

Abstract

It is a concern for many governments and natural resource utilization regulators to maintain ecosystems to function well in order to provide support for livelihoods—especially those in rural developing countries. The Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission of Ghana quest to improve livelihoods as means of winning support from rural people to conserve natural resources, is the main objective of embarking on collaborative natural resources management. The purpose of this study was to find out how livelihoods and environmental conservation have been impacted by apiculture in Sayinga-Kasena-Gavara-Kara (SKGK) in northern Ghana. A qualitative research approach through a narrative inquiry was applied to gather data. An in-depth interview was conducted based on a conceptual model developed to relate business and environmental opportunities and their barriers in apiculture. Findings suggest the SKGK apiculture has created environmental awareness, engaged participants from activities that degrade the environment, and provided supplementary income. There are investment opportunities for social investors, donors, or private businesses into beekeeping. The environmental benefits of the venture to the larger ecosystem with its added economic benefits into increasing agricultural production through pollination are discussed. Keywords: apiary, apiculture, biodiversity, renewable, sustainably, wildlife ---------------------------------------------------------- Résumé C'est une préoccupation pour beaucoup de gouvernments et les régulateurs d'utilisation des ressources naturelles de maintenir les écosystèmes en bon état de fonctionnement afin de fournir des moyens de subsistance—en particulier ceux situés dans les pays ruraux en développement. La Division de La Faune (Wildlife Division) de la Commission Forestière du Ghana poursuit un effort d'améliorer la qualité de vie, afin de gagner le support de la communauté rurale pour conserver les ressources naturelles. Cet effort est le but principal de cette gestion collaborative des ressources naturelles. L'objectif de cette étude était de trouver comment les moyens de subsitance et la conservation de l'environnement ont été touchés par l'agriculture dans les régions du Sayinga-Kassena-Gavara-Kara (SKGK), au nord du Ghana. Une approche de recherche qualitative via une enquête narrative fut appliquée pour collecter les données. Une entrevue approfondie fut menée et basée sur un modèle conceptuel développé pour mettre en relation les entreprises, les opportunités environnementales et leurs barrières en apiculture. Les résultats suggèrent que les régions apicoles des SKGK ont crée une sensibilisation à l'environnement, ont impliqué les participants des activités qui dégradent l'environnement et ont fourni des revenus supplémentaires. Il y a des opportunités d'investissement pour des investisseurs sociaux, des donateurs ou des entreprises privées dans l'apiculture. Les bénéfices environnementaux de cette entreprise à un écosystème plus large avec ses avantages économiques additionels dans la production agricole croissante grâce à la pollinisation sont discutés.

Author Biographies

Nana Owusu-Ansah, Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission of Ghana

Nana Owusu-Ansah works with the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission of Ghana as a Park Manager in one of the protected areas. He is currently pursuing Doctorate of Management with Swiss Management Center University. He holds MA in environmental management and Policy from the University of Cape Coast and Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Management from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. He has published two papers on protected area strategic planning and leadership style in wildlife law enforcement at GRIN GMBH, Munich-Germany. Another paper titled democratic perspectives of wildlife conservation: Ghana's Experience at the Social Science Research Network.

Nikhil Agarwal, Swiss Management Center University

Nikhil Agarwal is President of Cambridge Global Partners (CGP) and researcher at University of Edinburgh. Prior, he was Professor of Management and founder Director of Europe Asia Business School. Dr Agarwal has founded businesses and advised firms on strategic matters in last 18 years of his career. He has worked with global multinationals like Cadbury’s, FIC and Zensar (RPG Group). He has lectured at leading universities like Virginia Tech, University of Bradford, University of Edinburgh and University of Cambridge in visiting capacity. His interviews and work has been extensively covered in international media including HBR, Forbes, CNN Money, BBC Radio, The Economic Times, The New York Times to name a few. He has served on many international think-tanks and hold leadership positions in global organizations. He has served as high-level-advisor to United Nations Global Alliance on ICT & Development (UNGAID); board member at World-Entrepreneurship-Forum and Open Mind Foundation respectively. He was the first Asian to be elected as Co-Chair of prestigious Internet Society Advisory Council (ISOC-AC) for 2008-10. Professor Agarwal has travelled extensively around the world and worked with global institutions, corporations and multinationals. He has published over 40 research papers, conference publications and articles in leading journals. He is co-author of the best seller “Planet Entrepreneur” published by Wiley (2013). He is regularly invited to speak at seminars and conferences around the world. He spends significant time in academic research at University of Edinburgh. Dr Nikhil Agarwal is alumnus of University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

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Published

2015-07-14

Issue

Section

Case Studies