Ethiopia’s landless young find hope and security in keeping bees | World news | The Guardian
▻http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/03/ethiopia-landless-young-bee-keeping-farm-africa
C’est pourtant pas ce qui manque, les #terres, en #Éthiopie
In the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, increasing numbers of young people have no access to the land and its resources. Farming land here is already scarce, and many farms are very small. Many young people risk their lives by migrating to countries in the Middle East to work in domestic servitude, while others are resigned to living in extreme poverty.
With no opportunities to work close to home, Gebre Egzaibher, 21, felt forced to take a dangerous job as a traditional gold miner close to the Eritrean border. He would stand for 18 hours a day in a river bed panning gold deposits for the equivalent of a £1 a day, and contend with occupational hazards, such as being shot at by Eritrean militias.
“I had no choice. My father was sick and my younger brothers and sisters had only one meal a day. I needed to work to support them,” he says.
As life expectancy increases the potential for sub-dividing plots of land reduces, leaving many of Ethiopia’s young people with no assets and limited employment opportunities.
The issue of landless youth is fast becoming a national crisis in Ethiopia where 30% of young people are unemployed.
In his first year Gebre expects to sell 16kg of white honey after keeping 15% of his harvest for household and nutritional purposes. He stands to earn £150 a year and has the option of increasing production by splitting the bee colonies.
Farm Africa’s £31,000 intervention has a ripple effect that will set multiplying numbers of landless youth in Tigray on the honey trail says Farm Africa’s project co-ordinator, Desta Araya.
Ethiopia is Africa’s largest honey consumer and producer. The white honey produced in the Tigray region is widely regarded as a national delicacy and is in high demand across the country.
Young landless families in Tigray suffer high levels of poverty and malnutrition. Women in the region suffer in particular from poor nutrition and a recent survey showed that nearly a third were underweight, while more than half of the children under-five were affected by stunted growth.
#sans_terres #pauvreté #miel #malnutrition