Holeta Bee Research Center

Establishment

Holeta Bee Research Center (HBRC) was established in 1965 under the former office of Livestock and Meat Board. For 20 years, the center had been demonstrating few improved hives and other beekeeping equipment imported from abroad. In 1985, the center was re-organized under the Animal Breeding and Forage Improvement Team. It was after this re-organization that the center was supported by finance, manpower and up-graded from Beekeeping Demonstration Station to Holeta Beekeeping Research and Training Center (HBRTC). Its objectives, however, were formulated to focus most of its time on extension and training services and less time on beekeeping research. In 1992, HBRTC was transferred from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) to Oromia Agricultural Development Bureau (OADB), Livestock and Fishery Resource Development Department following the formation of federal regions.  

Then, for three years the center conducted its activities in line with the objectives formulated when it was under MOA. In 1996, the center was further re-organized under Agricultural Research Co-ordination Service of OADB. Finally, it was re-organized under Oromia Agricultural Research Institute (OARI) in June 2001. Then, the center's objectives were clearly formulated and focusing on full time apiculture research.

Location Of the Center

Holeta Bee Research Center (HBRC) is found in Oromia regional state in Welmera woreda of the west Showa zone in Holeta town. It is located at 9^°30' N and 38⁰ 30' E and 35 km west of Addis Ababa on the way to Ambo. The topography where the center is located consists of section of central Ethiopia, which represents cool tropical highland area that covers about 30% of land mass of Ethiopia and more than 70% of the population of the country. In the area where the center is located, the topography can be expressed by the existence of some scattered hills and mountains ranging between altitudes of 2250 m to 2500m above sea level.

Goal, focus and mandate areas of HBRC

The major goal of HBRC is to generate technological options that contribute to increase production and productivity of beekeeping, and conserve natural resources on sustainable bases through interdisciplinary and participatory research approach, need based training and advisory services there by improve the livelihood of beekeepers.

To achieve this broad goal, the center focuses on conducting applied researches to improve the production and productivity of honeybees. The research focus HBRC are to generate technologies that protect health and wellbeing of honey bees, increase product quality and volume, improve husbandry activities and management, develop approaches that improve beekeeping activities and livelihoods. The center focuses on innovating beekeeping technologies that may attractive young people to mitigate rural brain drain. As pillar support for this focus, HBRC value Partnership on Apicultural Research with local and international partners and stakeholders. In order to transfer technologies, knowledge and skills, HBRC focuses on technology multiplication and distribution, technology demonstration and popularization and massive need-based training activities. Beside this, HBRC also coordinates the national apiculture research programs to provide technical support and advisory services on improved beekeeping technologies.

The operational mandate areas of HBRC are the whole zones of Oromia National Regional state and to dispose the role of apiculture research program, the whole country, Ethiopia.  

Organizational setup and Alignment with OARI Research directorates

HBRC is operating under OARI as a full-fledged research center with the objective of generating improved technologies and information on management practices of beekeeping, bee product handling and processing, behavior and biology of local honeybees, bee health, socio-economics and extension-research. HBRC also coordinates the national apiculture research programs to support research and development of apiculture sub sector in the country. Moreover, the center has been producing skilled manpower in the field of beekeeping through massive training of beekeeping experts, bee technicians and beekeepers.

HBRC is organized in 8 research and 4 support teams. Out of the 8 research teams of HBRC 6 are organized under two research process and the two remaining teams are directly aligned with the OARI Research Directorates. Two of the HBRC research processes are Apiculture Technology generation and Socio-economics, Agricultural Extension and Gender Research. 

Under Apiculture Technology Generation four research teams are organized Vis Beekeeping and Genetic Improvement Research team, Bee Forage and Pollination Ecology team, Bee products diversification and Value Addition Research team and Bee health Research team. These teams are responsible for generating technologies that increase production and productivity, support product diversification and improve quality of honeybee products, resolve underutilization of honeybee pollination services and help overcoming problems that affect the health and wellbeing of honeybees. These teams and the process under which they organized are directly aligned with Livestock technology generation directorate of OARI.

Socio-economics, Agricultural Extension and Gender Research process is another key outreach organ of HBRC. Under this process two research teams are organized, namely Socio-economics and Agricultural Extension and Gender. The first team is responsible for identifying problems and opportunities related to socio economic and socio-cultural aspects of beekeeping and technology adoption success and gaps. Agricultural Extension and Gender is concerned with transfer of technology, knowledge and develop and innovate best mechanisms for dissemination and diffusion of developed technological options. It also works on mainstreaming gender issues regarding technology development and transfer. The under which teams are organized is aligned with OARI Socio-economics, Agricultural Extension and Gender Research directorate.

Two of the remaining research teams are post-harvest and food Engineering and Technology multiplication and center development teams. post-harvest and food Engineering research team is responsible for developing technologies that are required for product processing, product diversification and packaging. This team is aligned with OARI Pre- and Post- harvest and food engineering research Directorate.

Technology multiplication and center development team is responsible to multiply prototype of proven technologies, multiply need based technology for end users and work and develop HBRC’s research capacities and facilities for enabling research technology generation processes. The Technology multiplication and Center Development team is aligned with the OARI Technology Multiplication and Seed Research Directorate.

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