Demonstration and Evaluation of Solar Beeswax Extractor in Jimma Zone of South Western Oromia

Abstract

The study was conducted in the Jimma zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. The objective of the study was to evaluate the improved solar beeswax extractor performance under farmers’ condition in the study area. Four sites were selected as hosting centers for the popularization of the technology at different sites, namely Gandi calla, Omo Gurude, Suse and Kersa selected from three districts (Gera, Goma, and Kersa,) for the study. Accordingly, 51 farmers (41 female, 10 male), 7 agricultural workers (SMS and DA's), and 14 others (Kebele Administrators and Researchers) have attended the demonstration at different sites, involving men and women's participation. The evaluation result showed that, the technology had saved farmers’ labor and time, having an average of 0.546 kg from 3 kg of honey combs and 18.17% extracted beeswax, performing in a better way than the local methods with a relatively lower percentage of product loss. The participant farmers’ perception responses showed 66.67% that the extractor has a high capacity, whereas 33.3% responded to a medium level, and no respondents ranked it as having a low capacity for extracting beeswax. As a result, most farmers have a positive attitude towards this technology and its capacity.

Keywords: Solar beeswax, Extractor, Beehive, Honeycomb, Capacity

DOI: 10.7176/JETP/12-4-02

Publication date:October 31^st 2022