Stingless Bees as an Opportunity for Sustainable Development in Northern Tanzania
R. TERSAGO
Master of Science in the Life sciences: Agriculture and horticulture, option Applied environmental sciences, KU Leuven 2023.
Summary:
The Eastern Arc mountains are one of the world’s biodiversity centres, but they are in danger due to deforestation. Local plants can help mitigate this problem. One promising activity that could serve as an incentive and provide supplementary revenue to smallholder farmers is stingless beekeeping. Although it has a long tradition in the region, recent years have seen less investment in it as people shift their focus to keeping stinging bees. Analysing the bees’ forage is a crucial stage in optimising the composition of the home gardens for the Sustainable Development Goals, and this thesis acts as a reconnaissance study for stingless beekeeping in the agroforestry home garden systems of Northern Tanzania.
This thesis investigates the environmental, social, and economic benefits of stingless beekeeping in Tanzania. A smartphone app was created to assist smallholder farmers in making informed choices about which plants to use in their home gardens by analysing honey samples to identify the pollen contained therein. Although the findings demonstrated promise as an incentive for preserving native flora and as a source of revenue for smallholder farms, substantial obstacles remain. The formation of local cooperatives or the employment of government extension workers are two possible responses to the problems of inadequate knowledge and instruction. Additionally, community members with expertise in beekeeping should have the authority to assist novices and teach them what they have learned. More questions than answers were produced, and the potential for further study is enormous, as this thesis is only the beginning.
Comments:
The research has led to the following major discoveries/inventions:
• Because of destruction, the Eastern Arc Mountains, a vital habitat for a wide variety of species, are in jeopardy.
• Smallholder farmers may benefit from stingless beekeeping as a means to supplement their income and as an incentive to protect local flora.
• The best way to optimize backyard crops for the SDGs is to study the bees’ forage.
• By analyzing honey samples to determine the type of pollen they contain, a smartphone app was developed to help smallholder farmers select the best plants for their backyard plots.
• One solution to the issues of insufficient knowledge and instruction in beekeeping is the creation of local cooperatives, while another is to hire government extension workers.
• Those in the community who have acquired beekeeping knowledge ought to be empowered to help and instruct those who are just getting started.
• There is a huge opportunity for research into the advantages of stingless farming in Tanzania.
