By: Ewoenam Kpodo | Voltaonlinegh |
Evangelical Presbyterian University College (EPUC) has joined the rest of the world to celebrate the second World Bee Day.
The University under its Volta Apiculture Research Centre (VARC), visited some communities including Dorfor Korsive, Dorfor Gborkpo, Dorfor Afaode and Dorfor Kpekpo all in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region to meet with elders, opinion leaders, and the general public to educate them on the need to conserve bees and to whet their appetite to take on beekeeping profession.
The UN in 2017, declared May 20 every year as World Bee Day to raise awareness around the world about significant roles bees and other pollinators play in the survival of the world and to engender conversation on conserving bees and outlining activities to ensure their survival.
President of EPUC, Dr. Kenneth Nyalemegbe in his interaction with the communities, underscored the need for people to keep bees and not destroy them because without them, human race would suffer.
Dr. Nyalemegbe noted that bees and other pollinators “are responsible for transferring pollens from male parts of plants to female parts through which plants reproduce and without them any amounts of fertilizer applied to crops would yield little or no results.”
The visit on Monday coincided with a collaborative effort among EPUC, Forestry Commission and the Volta Beekeepers Association to promote educational campaign on the topic, Community Forest Management, Afforestation and Enterprise Programme (CF-MAEP).
The programme, a community service aimed at prompting communities to develop forest estates for today’s needs (charcoal, firewood) and for posterity.
It was also meant to contribute to poverty reduction in the communities by strengthening their ability and those of smallholders to sustainably establish and manage forest resources and, to assist them to add value to and market the products and services obtained from these resources.
An official from the Forestry Commission, Volta Region and Regional Coordinator, Volta Beekeepers Association, Tordey Gershon Amaglo cautioned the people against felling of trees saying, that was tantamount to destroying human life.
Mr. Amaglo who outlined the importance of trees impressed on the people to cultivate the habit of growing trees promising that the programme would from time to time, call on them for more education and guidance to enable them enjoy the full benefits of tree planting.
He advised that instead of releasing large acres of vast land to investors who might put just a small portion to use and keep the rest fallow without them (landowners) having access to the land, it would be better they planted trees on them for fresh air, prevention of degradation, in addition to other monetary benefits.
The people in the communities visited expressed appreciation to the team for their effort and education and pledged to commit appreciate amounts of land to plant trees.
Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com
