When Zarnigor had to provide for her entire family on her own, she took up the craft she learned from her father—keeping bees. Honey dreams in Uzbekistan Economic development
Zarnigor Yakubova has lived side by side with bees almost all her life. She grew up in a small village in the mountains, in the Bostanlyk region of Uzbekistan, and as a child she helped her father take care of the family apiary. By helping with housework, Zarnigor acquired a valuable skill that would be useful to her in the future.
Zarnigor liked to study, and she was especially good at languages. She always thought that her life would be connected with the field of education, she planned to become a teacher.
But fate decreed otherwise. She had to get a divorce while pregnant. At the same time, her mother became seriously ill and required constant care. There was no work for Zarnigor in the village, nor any support, and the girl had to think about how to feed her family on her own.
“Traditional foundations are strong in our village. The woman is blamed for the divorce. No one will say this to your face, but everyone thinks exactly this way,” she shares. “Rumors spread quickly, there is nowhere to wait for help.” But I didn’t sit idly by.”
Considering that she had to postpone her studies, and she had little choice, Zarnigor took up a long-familiar craft – breeding bees. He bought us a small wooden heart as a gift. At that moment, I realized how valuable his work was.”
At first, Zarnigor tried to take care of the family apiary, but the work progressed with difficulty, mainly due to outdated equipment. The Zarnigor family used large cauldrons to melt wax, and this method not only did not ensure the purity of the product, but also increased the risk of bee diseases.
There was one honey extractor for five surrounding beekeeping farms – farms were forced to wait patiently for their turn, and sometimes even travel considerable distances. When the bees were sick, there was no way to determine the cause and take timely action. Due to disease outbreaks, entire seasons of honey collection were lost, and with each such failure, both the productivity and profitability of the apiary decreased.
In 2023, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) invited Zarnigor to take part in the “Leaving No One Behind” project, which is being implemented with the support of the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The project is designed to expand the economic empowerment of rural women by providing access to agricultural knowledge and equipment, as well as establishing contacts with other farmers. project.
A training course under the guidance of experts and participation in a regional beekeeping festival allowed Zarnigor to reach a qualitatively new level. Course participants learned practical methods to improve the quality of cleaning hives, identify early signs of disease and more effective methods of breeding and maintaining bee colonies. In addition, they learned strategies for feeding bees with sugar syrup in early spring, when the bees are weakened after wintering, as well as approaches to increasing the profitability of the apiary and generating a stable income from beekeeping. “I also learned how to care for starving bees after a long winter,” says Zarnigor.
As part of the project, her family also received their own wax refiner and honey extractor. All these innovations and new knowledge save time, reduce the risk of disease and give Zarnigor the opportunity to independently take care of the apiary.
Once Zarnigor received basic equipment combined with useful knowledge, she was able to start her own beekeeping business. Now her apiary has 40 hives, and Zarnigor sells honey, wax, royal jelly and homemade propolis directly to her customers.
Zarnigor with father and son at the family apiary.
She also helps her father use modern tools. So, to promote their honey products, they began to write a blog in which they share their family history. occupation. Until recently, Zarnigor did not know a single female beekeeper. “We all thought it was a man’s job. They thought that it was too difficult and too dangerous for a woman,” she shares.
Zarnigor, by his example, helps to refute this stereotype and change the prevailing ideas in the village. Several women who also attended the training course are now setting up their own apiaries, others turn to Zarnigor for advice.
Income from selling honey and tutoring, which she does in her free time, helps her achieve her next important goal – Zarnigor is saving money for her own house: “Small, but her own. This is very important for me.”
The project is not limited to technical assistance; informal connections between rural women were also established within its framework. The course participants formed a group to keep in touch after completing the training, and now exchange ideas and support each other: “We not only discuss equipment and give each other advice, but also encourage each other and share our successes. Together we can do anything.”
All this helps Zarnigor focus on the future. She hopes to open a honey store and raise her son with the same values that guide her work: “I want him to grow up to be a valued member of society, caring for those around him, but also not forgetting his roots and appreciating the legacy we have created.”
At first, beekeeping was just a way for Zarnigor to get through hard times. Today it is a successful business that not only feeds her family, but also expands the boundaries of what is possible for other women, inspiring them to build successful households and gain economic independence.
“I experienced universal condemnation, the illness of a close family member, poverty and isolation. But it didn’t break me. I am building a future for myself and my son, relying only on the bees and my own strength – and on the belief that I am capable of achieving more.”