Assessment of the Technical Performance of Beekeeping Farms in Fereydunshahr County, Isfahan

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Department of Agricultural Management and Development, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Breeding honeybees to utilize their nutritional, environmental, and economic benefits has always been a concern for human societies. However, the beekeeping industry's performance is not currently favorable. The most fundamental action to achieve the desired status is to identify and analyze the current performance of this industry. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the technical performance of beekeeping farms in Fereydunshahr county and provide suggestions to improve their status. The data used in this study were primary data collected through face-to-face and telephone interviews by a researcher-made questionnaire in the spring of 2022. The sample size was 140 beekeepers selected using the stratified sampling method among all beekeepers in Fereydunshahr county (N=210), located in Isfahan province. Due to the study's exploratory nature, only descriptive statistics were used. The results showed that the average age of beekeepers was nearly 44 years, and all of them were men. More than 52% of the respondents followed beekeeping as a side job. The average number of colonies on beekeeping farms was 140, and the average honey production per hive was 9.7 kg, indicating an average level of performance. However, the production of honeybee by-products was not in favorable condition. Finally, suggestions such as increasing the motivation and ability of women and youth to enter the beekeeping profession, and increasing and homogenizing the number of colonies of beekeeping farms are suggested to improve the performance of beekeeping farms.

Keywords



Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 07 April 2024
  • Receive Date: 22 November 2023
  • Revise Date: 14 January 2024
  • Accept Date: 21 January 2024