How bees became an instrument of change in the lives of Mozambican communities
Imagine never being able again in your life to savour the delicious taste of blueberries, almonds or melons. How much you would be missing! And it is not just these specific crops or fruits, but many others that depend on pollination. Bees are crucial not only for pollination, but also for sustaining the livelihoods of local communities.
2020 has been a peculiar year, but, in the midst of it all, African communities have been able to harvest more than 4.5 tonnes of wildlife-friendly honey, a harvest that has served as a sustainable source of income for those communities.
Gorongosa National Park, in central Mozambique, known for its work restoring wildlife after the civil war, has a programme called Community-Based Natural Resource Management – around the park live some 200,000 community members. The programme centres on natural-resource-based businesses, such as, for example, the management of forests, rivers and land, with local members taking part in collaboration with Gorongosa National Park. The businesses directly benefit the communities in the buffer zone. Besides its other programmes, such as Gorongosa Coffee and the cashew plantations, it also has a Honey Harvest. Local members harvest honey from hives supplied by the Gorongosa National Park team, and the honey is processed and sold. This programme helps sustain the livelihoods of local community members through employment.
Bees are crucial not only for pollination, but also for sustaining the livelihoods of local communities
Legado is an organisation whose work is to protect and preserve the biodiversity of mountains (one of which is Mount Namuli) in Zambézia, Mozambique. Its work focuses not only on the mountains but also on local communities and their culture, providing them with education, health care, income and rights to land and resources. The organisation supports local beekeepers from the communities of Mucunha to Murrece, on Mount Namuli, who help harvest raw honey, which gives them an excellent opportunity to learn and earn an income.
The Niassa Lion Project is an organisation that helps create harmonious coexistence between lions, the people of Niassa and other carnivores, in northern Mozambique. The reserve has more than 42 villages, with more than 60,000 residents. The Niassa Reserve has programmes called Alternative Livelihoods, which help provide income, increase food security and encourage entrepreneurs for the communities living in remote areas.
Both Gorongosa National Park and the Niassa Reserve used an appropriate method to harvest honey and bring a solution to the conflict between humans and elephants. They did so by building beehive fences for elephants. These fences are essential, since the bees in them help stop elephants from destroying the crops of the surrounding communities, pollinate the crops and provide purely organic honey that can be sold. The income this generates goes directly to the beekeepers.
All these organisations are, in a way, helping to reduce poverty levels in local areas by carrying out community-based projects and giving people a window of opportunity to learn, grow and interact. Bees prove and remind us that “no one is too small to make a difference”.
