Author: Lalika, M.C.S. & Machangu, J.S.
Language: English
Year of publication: 2008
Number of pages: 1
Type of publication: Article In BfD Journal
Journal: Bees for Development
Edition: 88
Publication location: Text on this website
Country: Tanzania, Lindi

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M C S Lalika, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania and J S Machangu, FAO, Makati City, Philippines

Background
Forest loss and fragmentation are widely recognised as the two most important factors responsible for the degradation of the environment in Lindi Region, Tanzania. Available information on the components of forest, especially in the natural-resource-dependent areas, indicates a gloomy trend. The continuing forest loss is a telling measure of the imbalance between human needs and wants and nature’s capacity. Lindi Region has potential and abundant areas for the development of beekeeping (URT, 2005). Existence of high beekeeping potential is a function of the presence of virgin forests (mainly miombo woodlands), a low human population density that provides an environment conducive for the establishment of beekeeping activities, bee fodder plants (natural and cultivars), and knowledge of beekeeping. The development of beekeeping activities for income generation and forest management is hindered by poor transport infrastructure and marketing systems for bee products (Kihwele et al, 2001; Ngaga et al, 2005).

 

Improved marketing of bee products will ensure increased income and food security at household and national levels thereby achieving the national and UN development millennium goals of poverty reduction and natural resource management (UN, 2005). Furthermore, the importance of beekeeping as an income-generating activity is due to the fact that many people use honey as food, medicine and for sale. Beekeeping offers a great potential for development and is comparatively less demanding in terms of investment, labour and time. Also, beekeeping is advocated to improve human welfare by alleviating poverty through increased household income: it is a source of food and nutritional security, raw materials for various industries, medicine, increased government revenue through levies and taxes, improved biodiversity conservation and enhancing environmental resilience (Kihwele et al, 1999; MNRT, 2004).

 

Beekeeping gives local people and the Government economic incentive for the retention of natural habitats, and is an ideal activity in any forest conservation programme (Mwakatobe, 2001; Okoso-Amaa et al, 2004). Despite the significance of beekeeping, there is little or no empirical evidence on the potential of beekeeping for income generation and forest management in Lindi Region. Most of the available research material is in the form of scientific documents with little information in the direction of rural development or forest conservation. Therefore there was a need for information for use by beneficiaries and policy makers.

Figure 1. Kilwa and Lindi Rural Districts in Lindi Region (the brown line denotes District boundaries). The study areas included Mavuji and Mchakama villages in Kilwa District and Kinyope and Milola villages in Lindi Rural District.

 

The study area
Mangrove forests (along the seashore) and miombo woodlands (upland) are the two categories of coastal forests rich in biodiversity that are dominant in Lindi Region. Miombo woodlands are mainly in forest reserves.

 

Data collection and analysis
120 households were interviewed, 30 in each village using the sampling techniques of Bailey (1994). Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) household questionnaires, a checklist of questions and participant observation were used for data collection. Socio-economic data were analysed by SPSS programme. Data collected through PRA were analysed with the help of the local community.

 

Income evaluation
Table 1. Income of smallholder beekeepers and non-beekeepers

Smalholder beekeepers have a higher income than non-beekeepers. This implies that beekeeping products (honey and beeswax) raise the income of beekeepers, contrary to non-beekeepers who depend mainly on commercial crops such as cashew nuts and simsim, whose prices have fallen in recent years due to poor marketing systems.

 

Indigenous knowledge and equipment
Smallholder beekeepers in Tanzania have rich indigenous knowledge of beekeeping. They also have good knowledge of different types of hives, bee smokers and honey containers. In terms of hive types, it was found that most smallholder beekeepers use local style gourd hives . The reason is that they are cheaper than other types of hive and are locally available. The gourd hive is one of the oldest items of indigenous equipment and has been adopted in areas of Tanzania where alternative materials for hive making are scarce. Split log and bark hives are also used by smallholder beekeepers in the study area: over 95% of hives used by smallholder beekeepers in Tanzania are of this type. In the study villages, split log and bark hives are made by tree debarking, thus several trees are destroyed. However, split log and bark hives are locally considered to be the most convenient because of the abundance of miombo woodlands, which provide easily obtainable and suitable longevity, low cost, and the indigenous knowledge of hive making. Tree species preferred for hive making include Acacia spp, Afzelia quanzensis, Brachystegia spiciformis, Julbernadia globiflora and Pterocarpus angolensis. Durability and ample availability are two major reasons for these preferences.

This indigenous knowledge enables smalholders to carry out beekeeping activities at minimal cost, as it does not need heavy investment in terms of financial and human capital, for equipment and extensionists. Nevertheless, in terms of production, indigenous knowledge has an adverse impact on the quantity and quality of bee products.

 

The art of beekeeping
Smallholder beekeepers know how, and where to establish an apiary in ecological areas for maximum production of bee products. For instance in Milola village, beekeepers established their apiaries by hanging hives from trees in areas with sources of water and adequate bee fodder plants, in miombo woodlands.

In the study villages, smallholder beekeepers use a mixture of wax and cassava leaves mtondwa as bait for attracting colonies when stocking hives. Smoke mwenge is used to subdue the bees during harvesting.

 

Uses of honey
Honey is used as food, medicine and for sale (Figure 2, right).

While respondents were aware that some diseases were treated with honey, some of them did not know how much or how frequently one should use honey.

 

Table 3. Annual household income generated from honey and beeswax in the study villages

This study did not find any evidence of cash income generated from eco-tourism of bee reserves and apiaries. Bee reserves can be used to generate incomes for the local communities as is the case at Onana Bee Research and Extension Centre in Moshi District, and Njiro Beekeeping Research Centre, Arusha, where owners of bee reserves earn good incomes from study tours that are made by people from within and outside the country (MNRT, 2001).

 

Apart from income generation, beekeeping activities produce various tangible benefits and contribute to sustainable management of natural resources and increased biodiversity. Milola division beekeeping officer Mr Yusufu Juma Mponda said:

Beekeeping has a potential contribution to the incomes of smalholders in Kilwa and Lindi Rural Districts. This income is generated through selling honey and beeswax. Constraints on the efforts of beekeepers include the poor marketing system, and inefficient road and communication infrastructures. Marketing of bee products in the villages is poorly organised, such that honey is used within the villages as food and medicine.

 

Recommendations
The Government should improve road and communication infrastructures to facilitate information dissemination and the smooth movement of bee products to potential markets.

Development partners should facilitate the involvement of women in beekeeping activities in the study villages. This can be achieved through women’s access to information, extension and training, and exchange visits to increase their participation in beekeeping activities, and consequently improve household incomes and livelihoods.

Development partners should fund research to ascertain ways of improving harvesting and marketing of bee products to enhance their quality and quantity and hence improve the livelihoods of people in the study villages.

 

Acknowledgement
The preparation of this work has been possible through financial support from the REPOA, Research on Poverty Alleviation.