Honey value chain analysis and Gender role in Dehana Woreda Waghimra Zone of Amhara, Ethiopia.

Ethiopia has the most bee colonies and surplus honey sources of flora; it is Africa's top honey producer.Ethiopia produces approximately 24000 tons of crude honey per year, accounting for 24% of Africa's and 2% of the world's production.The objectives of this study were to identify actors in the value chain, assess their linkages and roles, estimate marketing margins for each actor, and identify factors influencing farmers' market channel choice for selling honey.Both primary and secondary data were utilized.The primary data were collected from 160 randomly selected producers, while the secondary data were gathered from various published and unpublished sources.Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, mean, minimum, maximum; percentage, t-test; ranking index; and gross market margin analysis.Honey producers, wholesalers, retailers, collectors, processors, and consumers were identified as the major honey value chain actors in the studied districts.Beekeepers use six different marketing channels to sell their honey until it reaches the end consumer.Market margin analysis was performed to estimate the marketing and profit margin differences between each actor and channel.A multinomial logit model was used to identify factors influencing honey producers' channel choice for marketing.MNL findings revealed that age, family size, education level, access to credit, distance to the nearest market, experience in beekeeping production, and membership in cooperative of the household heads were the most significant factors influencing beekeepers' decision to sell their honey directly to various marketing outlets.The distractive statistics results showed that honey production in study areas was limited due to a lack of bee flora, pesticide application, and herbicide use.Despite the fact that there are other beekeeping opportunities such as land availability, ease of management, government support, and the availability of forest and water in the study districts.Beekeepers should be kept up to date on current market trends so that they can choose the best market channel to maximize profits and improve their livelihoods.This can be accomplished through the use of agricultural and rural development offices, farmer training centers, and other voluntary NGOs; however, mass media and mobile messaging are more effective for updating marketing formation.