Socio-Economic Characteristics and Techniques of the Bee-Keeping in the Area of Goundi (Chad)

The study is related to the socio-economic and technical characteristics of 101 keepers into 28 villages around Goundi suprefecture of Chad. It was carried out by investigation using a semi-structured questionnaire, direct interviews, and observations, from July to September 2016. The results show that the bee-keeping is practised primarily by the men (99%) 43.2 years old. More half (53.5%) of the bee-keepers are Christians. They are the majority married (94.1%) with 1.53 ± 1.05 women and had 7.59 ± 6.140 children. More than 52% of the bee-keepers are educated in primary school. Agriculture and breeding are the main activities of the bee-keepers. The average duration in the activity is of 13.18 ± 10, 18 years and varies between 2 and 54 years. The aim of the breeding is for sale and subsistence farming (100%). The colonies of bees are high in an extensive way. They belong to the Apis species Mellifera adansonii (yellow bee). The bee-keepers are using the traditional hives with little capacity (6.13 liters) of which the number varies from 1 to 304 hives, with an average of 17 hives per bee-keeper. Honey is the principal collected product. The average quantity of collected honey varies from 3 to 22 liters per colony. The annual production out of honey is on average 862.72 ± 1859.26 liters per bee-keeper. The average selling price of honey is 1676, 57 FCFA the liter. The annual average income gross by bee-keeper is of 834, 930 FCFA. The production of honey increases absolutely by the change of the practices of production through the framing, the training and to assist the bee-keepers.