The Slow Food Foundation has been active in Ethiopia for several years with two honey Presidia: the
Wukro White Honey Presidium, in the northern region of Tigray, and the
Wenchi Volcano Honey Presidium, in the Oromia region.
Based on the experience gained with these two projects, in 2009 the Slow Food Foundation joined with partners
Modena per gli Altri,
Terra del Terzo Mondo and
CONAPI (the Italian Consortium of Beekeepers and Organic Producers) in setting up the first network of quality honey producers in Ethiopia. The network will enable beekeepers and their communities to share knowledge, training initiatives and commercialization instruments.
So far the network consists of two Presidia and the following communities in
Kulu Konta from Dawro,
Wolisso,
Shalala,
Horde and
Gurache from Ghetche.
Each honey has different characteristics, reflecting the distinct environmental and climatic conditions and flora where it is produced. The project aims to promote a sector which is a symbol of the richness of local biodiversity through supporting the best artisan honeys of Ethiopia.
What will this network do? In addition to supplying technical assistance to producers, it will provide suitable communication tools and help the communities to diversify their sources of income by strengthening the links between beekeeping, derivative products from processing honey and local economies.
From the outset, the
Honeys of Ethiopia project has involved a group of
technical collaborators, professional and amateur beekeepers from Italy and Ethiopia. During 2009, they constituted an effective workgroup providing operational assistance and advice for all the beekeeping projects in Africa. The group was designed to be flexible and open in order to include further professional support, particularly from the academic world.
Download the Honeys of Ethiopia leaflet!
Coordinator Honeys of Ethiopia Project
Zerihun Dessalgn
tel. +251 911214454
zerihunbd@yahoo.com - zerihunbd@hotmail.com
For further information Francesco Impallomeni
Slow Food International f.impallomeni@slowfood.it
