Morning breaks in the village Durmon, a quiet hamlet in the Bukhara region of southern Uzbekistan. There is no bustle of a big city. The only sounds are of chirping of birds and the humming of peaceful nature.
This is the setting for an ordinary day in the life of Gulhayo Khaydarova, a 35-year-old native of Durmon. She begins her work even before the sun rises, like her grandmothers and great-grandmothers used to do before her.
Sweep the yard; milk the cow; feed the chickens: this is Gulhayo’s to-do list for the morning. She then cooks breakfast and sends the children, two boys, off to school.
After the children leave, it’s time to turn to her other job. Though she would never have guessed it before, Gulhayo has been in beekeeping for many years now, and the natural honey she produces is famous throughout the village.
In the Khaydarov family, the traditions and secrets of beekeeping are passed down from generation to generation. Her father-in-law, Ravshan, knows this business inside and out.
It used to be that Gulhayo would watch from a safe distance while her father-in-law and her husband worked. She was too afraid to even approach the bees. Then one day, interest arose. She smiles remembering how her head spun with excitement the first time she put on a protective suit and opened the bee box on her own.
Today Gulhayo is an experienced beekeeper. She first cleans the hives and then inspects them for any symptoms of diseases or pest infestations. In this field, it is important to check the hives regularly because early detection improves the chances of keeping the bees healthy.
When examining bee colonies, she can see with a naked eye the presence and state of a queen in the hive. She can tell whether the transplanted queen has been accepted by the bees or whether the colony is at risk of illness. She knows if there is enough food in the frame and whether the bees are healthy. Gulhayo has been following this daily routine for 14 years.
One day like any other, employees of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) came to Gulhayo’s house, accompanied by government representatives. After a socioeconomic survey conducted by the project team, the Khaydarov family was selected to participate in the FAO project, Central Asian Desert Initiative (CAD
