The Rural Voice, 1986-02, Page 58SATELLITE
ENTERTAINMENT
. AT ITS BEST
56 THE RURAL VOICE
ONE MAN'S OPINION
A buzzing business
At this time of great financial
distress, farmers are looking for
ways to supplement their income.
Driving a school bus has been
such a standby for a long time. A
number of farmers still have a
small flock of chickens from which
they sell eggs, or they sell chickens
and geese, especially at Christmas
time.
We are all familiar with the
roadside stands with sweet corn
and fresh vegetables, and with
farm signs inviting people to drop
in and purchase farmer's sausage.
Much of the old mixed farming
has gone the way of the dinosaur
much to the detriment of the
vaunted "way of life" farmers
fondly recall.
One of the things we can learn
from less developed countries is
how they supplement their often
substandard incomes.
Take for example, a report writ-
ten by The International Develop-
ment Research Centre (IDRC).
The IDRC is a Canadian organiza-
tion that adapts science and
technology to the needs of
developing countries.
Because it works with local peo-
ple and listens to their experiences,
I have admired this centre for a
number of years.
In the IDRC Report, mention is
made of a Malaysian farmer trying
to eke out an existence for his
family, much like many of our
own farmers do. He searched for
ways to supplement his income.
Last year, the farmer, Sitas Sar -
to, started a bee colony which was
so successful that his income
soared by 25 per cent. From that
income he has been able to repair
his house and buy new clothes for
his children. Possibly, next year,
he will be able to buy them some
luxuries.
While honeybees were used by
natives of Malaysia before this, it
has always been like something
biblical. Samson found honey in a
lion's carcass, but more often, bee
hives were found in hollow trees.
Europeans had tried before to
introduce higher yielding Euro-
pean bees complete with hives into
the country, but the bees always
died after a time.
The IDRC made funds available
to Malaysian researchers to see
what could be done with native
species of bees.
After four years of research,
they were able to advise local
farmers on disease prevention, bee
starvation during the time coconut
trees are not in bloom, and all the
other things needed for successful
beekeeping.
They have developed a hive
suitable for the humid climate with
a simple "queen gate." This gate
keeps the queen from leaving with
most of the workers, and prevents
wasps from entering the hive.
The researchers give courses to
farmers. They, in turn, pass their
acquired knowledge to neighbours.
Being like farmers everywhere,
they make their own hives, after
the model, from old nail boxes.
Then they go out and capture wild
bees from hollow trees and
transfer them to their new home.
As reported, the only obstacle to
faster growth is that some farmers
want to expand too fast before
learning the problems and they
become discouraged.
Are there any farmers in our
reading area who want to do the
same as the Malaysians are doing?
Some have already been doing this
for many years. In fact, writer
Yvonne Reynolds featured an
apiarist in Huron County in the
December 1979 issue of The Rural
Voice.
This winter of anguish may be
used by some to study beekeeping
and to build a number of hives.
No one says that in our age of
specialization we can't, to some ex-
tent, return to mixed farming. El
Adrian Vos, a regular columnist
with The Rural Voice, is a
freelance writer from Huron
County.
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56 THE RURAL VOICE
ONE MAN'S OPINION
A buzzing business
At this time of great financial
distress, farmers are looking for
ways to supplement their income.
Driving a school bus has been
such a standby for a long time. A
number of farmers still have a
small flock of chickens from which
they sell eggs, or they sell chickens
and geese, especially at Christmas
time.
We are all familiar with the
roadside stands with sweet corn
and fresh vegetables, and with
farm signs inviting people to drop
in and purchase farmer's sausage.
Much of the old mixed farming
has gone the way of the dinosaur
much to the detriment of the
vaunted "way of life" farmers
fondly recall.
One of the things we can learn
from less developed countries is
how they supplement their often
substandard incomes.
Take for example, a report writ-
ten by The International Develop-
ment Research Centre (IDRC).
The IDRC is a Canadian organiza-
tion that adapts science and
technology to the needs of
developing countries.
Because it works with local peo-
ple and listens to their experiences,
I have admired this centre for a
number of years.
In the IDRC Report, mention is
made of a Malaysian farmer trying
to eke out an existence for his
family, much like many of our
own farmers do. He searched for
ways to supplement his income.
Last year, the farmer, Sitas Sar -
to, started a bee colony which was
so successful that his income
soared by 25 per cent. From that
income he has been able to repair
his house and buy new clothes for
his children. Possibly, next year,
he will be able to buy them some
luxuries.
While honeybees were used by
natives of Malaysia before this, it
has always been like something
biblical. Samson found honey in a
lion's carcass, but more often, bee
hives were found in hollow trees.
Europeans had tried before to
introduce higher yielding Euro-
pean bees complete with hives into
the country, but the bees always
died after a time.
The IDRC made funds available
to Malaysian researchers to see
what could be done with native
species of bees.
After four years of research,
they were able to advise local
farmers on disease prevention, bee
starvation during the time coconut
trees are not in bloom, and all the
other things needed for successful
beekeeping.
They have developed a hive
suitable for the humid climate with
a simple "queen gate." This gate
keeps the queen from leaving with
most of the workers, and prevents
wasps from entering the hive.
The researchers give courses to
farmers. They, in turn, pass their
acquired knowledge to neighbours.
Being like farmers everywhere,
they make their own hives, after
the model, from old nail boxes.
Then they go out and capture wild
bees from hollow trees and
transfer them to their new home.
As reported, the only obstacle to
faster growth is that some farmers
want to expand too fast before
learning the problems and they
become discouraged.
Are there any farmers in our
reading area who want to do the
same as the Malaysians are doing?
Some have already been doing this
for many years. In fact, writer
Yvonne Reynolds featured an
apiarist in Huron County in the
December 1979 issue of The Rural
Voice.
This winter of anguish may be
used by some to study beekeeping
and to build a number of hives.
No one says that in our age of
specialization we can't, to some ex-
tent, return to mixed farming. El
Adrian Vos, a regular columnist
with The Rural Voice, is a
freelance writer from Huron
County.