Adoption and Intensity of Use of Modern Beehives in Wag Himra and North Wollo Zones, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Bee-keeping in Ethiopia is common and one of the agricultural activities. Honey and bee wax are the major bee products used for export earnings and also serve as sources of income for the rural community. Ethiopia is the leading honey producer in Africa and is one of the ten largest producers in the world. The general objective of the study is to assess the adoption and intensive use of the modern beehive with its determinant factors. Even though the government of Ethiopia gives great attention to the bee- keeping sub-sector to promote modern bee-keeping technologies, the probability of adoption and use intensity of modern beehives is found to be minimal. Pests and predators, drought, and lack of bee equipment and accessories are ranked as the first, second and third major constraints of bee- keepers, respectively. Moreover, age, number of livestock owned, educational level of farmers, number of local hives bee-keepers possessed, training provided, total annual income of bee-keepers, credit service, distance to Kebele agricultural office, extension service, and participation in off-farm income sources are the main determinants of the probability of adoption and use intensity of modern beehives in north Wollo and Wag Himra zones.