Buuzara’s Bees: Kyrgyz woman turning her family’s beekeeping legacy into a thriving business

Buuzara Matislamova, 52, has always loved bees. She grew up in a small village in the Batken region of Kyrgyzstan, where her uncle taught her how to care for the buzzing insects and harvest their honey. She inherited his passion and continued the family tradition of beekeeping for decades.

But life was not easy for Buuzara and her bees. Batken is one of the most underdeveloped and driest regions of the country, and climate change has made it even harder to grow crops and flowers essential for nourishing the bees. The region suffers from frequent droughts, which impacts the quality of the crop yield, and above all the honey harvest. 

Bees also need water. Buuzara struggled to make ends meet, and often had to sell her honey at low prices.

Her son, Dastanbek, and her daughter-in-law, Gulzhan, decided to go to the United Kingdom, as part of the Seasonal Workers’ Scheme. They worked hard as gardeners, saving money. They also learned about the new technique of drip irrigation, which uses a network of pipes and valves to deliver water directly to the roots of plants, saving water and increasing yields. They were inspired by how this effective system could transform barren lands into flourishing gardens, and they wondered if they could apply this very same system, back in their homeland.

To support and empower migrants to invest their earnings in a sustainable way, IOM Kyrgyzstan has been providing financial grants to start and improve their businesses upon returning from the United Kingdom for the past two years. 

IOM offered Dastanbek and his family a matching grant to set up a drip irrigation system in Buuzara’s fields, as part of a project which covers the safe migration of seasonal workers from Central Asia to the United Kingdom, funded by UK International Development from the UK Government. These supports assist communities in managing their remittances and how best to sustainably invest their earnings.

“I discovered the IOM grant programme on Facebook in April 2024. Initially, my son and daughter-in-law were uncertain, but I wanted to give it a shot.” – explains Buuzara.

Buuzara was overjoyed when she heard the good news that she was one of the grant recipients. She eagerly awaited the arrival of the equipment that also included a mobile reservoir, which could store water and transport it to her fields. The system is easy to use and maintain and it has improved the productivity and quality of the apiary.

With the drip irrigation system in place, Buuzara’s farm gradually transformed. Flowers, clovers, vegetables, and fruits flourished, feeding not only the bees and other animals on the family’s farm, but also building an entire ecosystem. Buuzara was able to harvest 40 bales of clover from her first crop, selling part of it to her neighbors for extra income.
 
Her daughter-in-law, Gulzhan, whose name translates from Kyrgyz as the flower 'Soulalso' started drying the flowers and exporting them to Russia, where they fetched a good price. Honey production increased and income rose as she sold this liquid gold. 

“Dastanbek and Gulzhan inspired me with their experiences of working in the apple orchard in the United Kingdom. They learned techniques for planting and pruning, as well as methods for processing without chemicals. Occasionally, I guide tourists around and offer them tea with honey.” –  an inspired Buuzara explains.

Buuzara is now a role model and a leader within her community, sharing her knowledge and experience with other farmers and even tourists. She is proud of her achievements, and grateful to her children for their unwavering support.

But most of all, she is happy to see her bees thrive. She always felt a deep connection with them, and enjoyed watching them fly from flower to flower, pollinating the plants and making the honey. She feels that they are as happy as she is and reminisces that there are as many now compared to her childhood memories.

She smiles and says, “As a child, I remember many bees. My uncle kept them, but now their numbers have dwindled. In many places, bees no longer pollinate the trees. Trees pollinated by bees yield better than those treated with chemicals. We need to increase bee populations.”

Buuzara is always pleased to welcome both neighbors and tourists to the family garden.

This story is written by Zulaika Esentaeva, Media and Communications Specialist at IOM Kyrgyzstan - zesentaeva@iom.int