Beekeeping offers opportunity to Zimbabwean farming communities

CHIMANIMANI, Zimbabwe, Mar 15 2024 (IPS) - Honeybees quickly react with a sharp and loud buzz sound as beekeeper Tanyaradzwa Kanangira opens one of the wooden horizontal Kenyan top bar hives near a stream in a thick forest in Chimanimani, 412 kilometres from Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare. The 26-year-old puffs some smoke, a safety measure, as he holds and inspects a honeycomb built from hexagons by the honey bees. Many people in this part of the country rely on many forms of agriculture, from agroforestry and horticulture to crop production. Nonetheless, with increasing floods and droughts as a result of climate change, both rainfed and irrigation agriculture have become somewhat unreliable, forcing farmers to diversify into other forms of farming like apiculture to sustain their livelihoods. Related IPS Articles Young Musician’s Death Exposes Zimbabwe’s Collapsing Health System In Brazil, Indigenous Leaders and Youth Activists Fight To Protect Amazon In Zimbabwe, Golf Is Giving ...