Bees for Development Journal 123 July 2017
Money from honey on Mount Elgon, Uganda Mount Elgon straddles Uganda’s eastern border with Kenya. It is a remote and poor place, and life was made harder when hundreds of people where killed by severe landslides in 2010 and 2012. It is widely understood that the landslides were triggered by unusually heavy rain as a consequence of climate change, and years of deforestation of the mountain’s steep slopes exacerbated the situation. A local NGO, named Mbale Coalition Against Poverty (Mbale CAP) in response launched a tree-planting project, which received support from the Welsh Government. However, many concerns remained. Local people understand the importance of tree-planting, yet trees take time to mature, and farmers need immediate income to meet their daily needs. Bees for Development first visited the area in 2013 to consider options for beekeeping development and began working with Mbale CAP to help farmers to integrate beekeeping into their tree and coffee plots. We immediately recognised the potential of the area: bees, flowering plants and materials to make low-cost beehives are readily available. We identified people with good beekeeping skills and trained them further to take on the role of Community-Based Beekeeper Trainers (CBBTs), and we provided possibilities for them to train other people in their communities. This approach has been hugely successful and has generated significant multiplier effects.
In 2013 Bees for Development held a meeting at the premises of the local coffee cooperative. Patrick Wakuma was not invited to the meeting, but he happened to be passing and realised that visitors were talking about bees, so he stood to one side and listened. After the meeting he asked to participate in future training and was invited to do so. Since then he has never looked back. He now places his beehives throughout his coffee plot, one by one. He does not place them in a single location in one apiary because he knows that the bees will reach more coffee plants this way. Since he began beekeeping he has noticed that his coffee yields have increased from 15 bags a year to about 25 bags. Before taking surplus honey to town to sell, he makes sure his children eat honey at least once a week to stay healthy. He explains, “I have always known bees, but I did not know you could make business from bees!”
The Project has encouraged women to become involved in beekeeping and in Bududa Ms Robinah Nandudu, the local CBBT, has been eager to learn from more experienced beekeepers. The Uganda Wildlife Authority has given permission for beekeepers from Elgon Farmers Associations to establish four apiaries inside Mount Elgon National Park. This collaborative arrangement means that instead of being excluded with no gain, local people can benefit from the National Park. Local CBBT Sam Kusolo explains that bees within the Park are not disturbed by people, livestock or pesticides.
Elizabeth Nakuti is the daughter of Peter Gimaswa, one of the CBBTs. Elizabeth is learning all aspects of beekeeping from her father and is keen to help him. She appreciates the value of beekeeping because she and her brothers enjoy eating honey, but primarily because she understands that honey sales pay for her school books and education “I thank bees for my school fees!”, says Elizabeth. 8
