ASSESSMENT OF HONEY PRODUCTION AS A MEANS OF SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD IN IBADAN METROPOLIS

Honey is a sweetfood made by bees using nectar from flowers. Honey bees form nectar into honey by a process of regurgitation, and store it as a primary food source in wax honeycombs inside the beehive. Because of its unique composition and chemical properties, honey is suitable for long-term storage, and is easily assimilated even after long preservation. Honey, and objects immersed in honey, has been preserved for decades and even centuries. The main uses of honey are in cooking, baking, as a spread on bread, and as an addition to various beverages, such as tea, and as a sweetener in some commercial beverages. The importance of honey cannot be over emphasized and as a result, this paper therefore sought to determine the level of participation in the honey production, cost and benefit in relation to the livelihood of people in Ibadan metropolis. The methodology adopted for data collection for this study includes purposive random sampling of four (4) selected rural areas in Ibadan metropolis. A total of sixty structured questionnaires were administered and retrieved from the honey producers. Simple descriptive statistics tools such as frequency and percentage were used to describe the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. Gross margin analysis was used to determine the cost and return while Chi square was employed to determine the level of participation and profitability of honey production in the study area. Honey production business is a profitable enterprise that meets the nutritional requirement and diet need of people depending on them. It is therefore recommended that more awareness activities on the importance of honey should be encouraged by both private and public sectors concerned such as Agricultural Development Programme (ADP), NGOs among others KEYWORDS: Honey production, Bees, Participation, Profitability, and Livelihood.

蜂蜜是蜜蜂采集花朵花蜜酿制而成的甜味食品。蜜蜂通过反复吐哺的工序将花蜜加工为蜂蜜，并将其作为主要食物储存在蜂箱内的蜡质蜂巢中。由于其独特的成分与化学特性，蜂蜜适合长期储存，即便经过长时间保存也极易被人体消化吸收。蜂蜜以及浸渍于蜂蜜中的物品，可保存数十年甚至数百年之久。蜂蜜的主要用途包括烹饪、烘焙、涂抹面包，以及添加至各类饮品（如茶饮）中，同时也可作为部分商业饮品的甜味剂。蜂蜜的重要性不言而喻，因此本研究旨在探讨伊巴丹都会区居民参与蜂蜜生产的程度，以及蜂蜜生产与居民生计相关的成本与收益情况。本研究的数据收集方法采用立意随机抽样法，选取伊巴丹都会区的4个农村区域。研究共向蜂蜜生产者发放并回收了60份结构化调查问卷。研究使用频次、百分比等简单描述性统计工具分析受访者的社会人口统计学特征；采用毛利分析法测算成本与收益，并通过卡方检验分析研究区域内蜂蜜生产的参与程度与盈利水平。蜂蜜生产是一项盈利性产业，能够满足依赖该产业的人群的营养需求与膳食需求。因此，建议相关公私部门（如农业发展计划署（Agricultural Development Programme, ADP）、非政府组织等）开展更多关于蜂蜜重要性的宣传活动。关键词：蜂蜜生产、蜜蜂、参与度、盈利能力、生计。