Spreading the word on pollinators: From the UK to Ethiopia

Beekeepers act as a warning system for general pollinator health, as they are some of the only people to regularly interact and monitor insect populations. The importance of this connection is especially evident in parts of the world where wide-scale and more targeted environmental monitoring practices are less developed or simply don’t exist.

Ethiopian farmers at a Farmers’ Field Day at Kuhar-Abo where farmers could see for themselves how our no pesticide approach to growing onions and grass pea is working.

Bees for Development Ethiopia has been working in the Amhara region, one of Africa’s most impoverished areas, since 2012 to support and develop beekeeping among local people. This sustainable and easy-to-access form of income for these poor communities also supports the monitoring of broader pollinator health. The More Bees project, started in 2022, came about as a direct result of the beekeepers’ awareness of how pesticides were affecting their bees. The ensuing work has made great progress in tackling the problems around pesticide usage, through the introduction of Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

IPM primarily focuses on increasing the natural populations of predator species which then controls the organisms causing crop damage, without the need for pesticides. This reduction in pesticide use will benefit all pollinators, increase crop yields and local beekeepers should see healthier honey bee populations.

Many Ethiopian farmers become worried about any insects found on their crops, even the pollinators which are vital to the success of their livelihoods. I’ll be visiting Bahir Dar in the Amhara region to work on a new Bees for Development project, The Pollinator Training Toolkit, which aims to provide information for farmers on the basics of pollination and how to recognise the insects which provide this fantastic service.

Much like my guided bee walks here in the UK, I will be giving practical advice and demonstrations of the best ways to observe and recognise pollinators, as well as explaining what habitats they need to survive. I’ll also be taking my camera to photograph some of these pollinators up close to show farmers a perspective they may not have seen before.

Ethiopian farmers who are part of the More Bees project, showing their peers the impact of IPM on their onion crops.

Increasing awareness of vital pollinators and their needs is also an aspect of my work here in the UK with the 270 or so UK bee species largely unknown to the public. They live very different lives to their honey-making cousins and are therefore affected differently by pesticides, habitat loss and our changing climate. A good example being that the vast majority of bee species nest in the soil, and since pesticides often collect and remain in the ground for years after their application, ground nesting bee species receive prolonged and higher exposure to harmful chemicals compared to honey bees.

I’m extremely excited to be travelling to Amhara, as the bee fauna there will be almost completely different from the UK, as well as being far less recorded and there is a great opportunity for new discoveries! I’m keen to share this excitement with the people I meet and learn with them about their native wildlife.

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