By VALENTINE OFORO
HUNDREDS of beekeeping farmers, experts and others potential apiculture stakeholders are conveining in Dodoma Capital City to observe this year’s World Bee Day (WBD), thanks to the Beekeeping Value Chain Support (BEVAC) Project.
The group, incorporate the Extension Officers, Bee Traders, Training and Research Institutions, Districts Beekeeping Officers (DBO), Honey Exporters, and those from the relevant Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), as well as the bee farmers from different beekeeping regions.
According to BEVAC Project's Expert in Result Monitoring, Mr Deogratius Kimena, the group is made up of the bee stakeholders who have so far benefited from the robust Project.
Mr Kimena communicated that the project has already impacted over 10,371 bee farmers across the country and it continue working to extend its vital operations so as to bolster performance of the key economic sector in the country.
"We have decided to support the beneficiaries of the project to partake in this key event so as to have a meaningful podium to showcase their beekeeping expertise, but also to enjoy a prestigious platform to exchange knowledge and acquire new apiculture ideas from their counterparts, " he insisted.
Implemented by Enabel, the Belgian Development Agency through funds from European Union (EU), the project, BEVAC, operates under the coordination of the Ministry of Tourism and Natural Resources for Tanzania Mainland and Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, Natural Resources and Livestock in Zanzibar.
"Apart from achieving diverse milestones towards heightening performance of the apiculture sector in Tanzania, the project, among others is currently working to ensure at least a total of 53,527 hectares of forest land is conserved and officially recognized as a beekeeping reserve areas," he said.
The vision, to start with, he expressed is to conserve potential lands for supporting professional beekeeping activities in at least eight villages in Kigoma Region, three villages in Katavi Region, two villages in Tabora as well as six villages in Singida Region.
"Our operations is prioritising to empower the youth and women with focus to ensure for the sector’s 'Better Tomorrow ', but also, to have them escaping from shackles of poverty through engaging professionally into beekeeping projects," Mr Kimena added.
World Bee Day is celebrated each year, 20th May, with an eye to raise awareness on the essential role bees and other pollinators play in keeping people and the planet healthy, and on the many challenges they face today.
The annual-staged event has been celebrated since 2018, being concerted efforts of the Government of Slovenia with the support of Apimondia, that led the UN General Assembly.
"This year’s event focuses on the theme of "Bee engaged with Youth." This theme highlights the importance of involving young people in beekeeping and pollinator conservation efforts, recognizing them as the future stewards of our environment," Mr Kimena observed.
Bees and other pollinators are essential for allowing sustaining agriculture and biodiversity worldwide. With over 20,000 species of bees and various other wild pollinators, they face challenges from human activities, such as habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change.
But research shows that today bees, pollinators, and many other insects are declining in abundance.
This year's WBD provides an opportunity for all of the participants - governments, organizations, civil society and other concerned citizens – to promote actions that will protect and enhance pollinators and their habitats, improve their abundance and diversity, and support the sustainable development of beekeeping.
Furthermore, the vision is to foster more diverse agricultural systems and reducing reliance on toxic chemicals can facilitate increased pollination. This approach can improve food quality and quantity, benefiting both human populations and the ecosystem.
Tanzania stands 14th country for beekeeping in the world and 2nd in Africa with most of the country's produced honey and beeswax often exported to Germany, France, Belgium and Netherlands, Oman, USA, Japan, Botswana, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Congo DRC, Somali and neighboring Kenya.
The country holds at least 48.1million hectares of forests, equivalent to 54 percent of the county’s area, whereby the government reserved forests area is 465 hectares, including 24 tree plantations,23 natural environmental conservation areas, and 20 beekeeping reaserves.
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