The Resilient Food Systems programme under Reversing of Land Degradation Trends and Increasing Food Security in Degraded Ecosystems of Semi-arid Areas of Central Tanzania (LDFS) project seeks to support food production and security (in terms of quantity, accessibility, and quality) in Tanzania. This entails addressing drivers for unsustainable land management and land degradation as well as biodiversity loss and support adaptation strategies to climate variability in the agricultural sector, fostering small farmer’s and pastoralist’s resilience to climate and other shocks. The project focuses on geographic areas with high levels of poverty, food insecurity, malnutrition of children under 5 years old, land degradation and low average annual rainfall, as well as areas where there might be conflicts among communities related to access to and use of crop, grass and forest land and water resources. It currently covers twenty-two villages in five districts in semiarid areas of Mainland Tanzania, including Kondoa, Nzega, Magu, Chemba and Mkalama District.
Tag: beekeeping
Resilient Food Systems 2022 Workshop Report [20-23 September 2022, Blantyre, Malawi]
Opening remarks at the RFS Malawi workshop were delivered by Jean‑Marc Sinnassamy, Senior Environmental Specialist at the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and Geoffrey Mamba, Principal Secretary for Irrigation Services, Ministry of Agriculture, Malawi. The guest of honor, Hon. Lobin C. Lowe, MP and Minister of Agriculture, welcomed participants to Blantyre, the “Warm Heart of Africa.” He expressed strong support for the RFS Malawi project, citing visible improvements in food security within project areas. The minister emphasized that government ministries in Malawi have long collaborated with organizations to restore degraded landscapes and improve smallholder livelihoods, while continuing to invest in resilience against droughts, floods, and other climate‑related disasters. He highlighted the uniqueness of the Enhancing the Resilience of Agro‑ecological Systems Project (ERASP), noting its integration with other programmes such as PRIDE to support irrigation education and incentivize upstream benefits through beekeeping and livestock pass‑on initiatives.
Bee value chain – Information brief for farmers
Bee production in Rwanda is a low-investment, high-demand nature-based enterprise that provides livelihood and ecosystem benefits. Despite unmet honey demand in domestic and international markets, farmers require stakeholder engagement, quality control, certification, and standardization to maximize opportunities. The Eastern Province supports beekeeping with melliferous species such as Markhamia lutea, Leucaena diversifolia, Calliandra calothyrsus, Vernonia amygdalina, Senna siamea, Senna spectabilis, Acacia angustissima, Vachellia sieberiana, Mangifera indica, and Persea americana. Modern hives, though costly upfront, offer long-term benefits over traditional hives. Farmers access market insights via esoko and SNS, climate data from METEO Rwanda, and financial support through SACCOs and tailored credit facilities.
Integrating Beekeeping in Land restoration
Bee farming is rearing bees for services such as pollination and products such as propolis, bee venom, bee bread, live bees, brood, royal jelly, pollen, and honey. Bee farming has the potential to alleviate poverty and integrates well with regenerative agriculture, climate change adaptation and mitigation, land restoration and biodiversity conservation.