Beekeeping and poverty reduction: the case study of selected villages in Rufiji District, Coast Region- Tanzania

Beekeeping is an art and science of harnessing bees and plants resources for the production of bee products that nowadays taken as a profitable alternative economic activity that can contribute to sustainable livelihoods and poverty reduction. Beekeeping can also facilitate forest conservation and seen environmentally protective as it depends on plants-a natural capital that has to be protected for it to be economically productive. The study aimed at assessing the contribution of beekeeping and its role in poverty reduction in local communities in Ndundutawa, Nyaminywili and Uponda village in Rufiji District. A mixture of data collection methods for triangulation of information was used and included household questionnaire interview, focus group discussion, direct observation, key informant interview and documentary review. A total of 113 households, 59 (52%) with and 54 (48%) without beehives, were randomly selected and interviewed. The mean annual income of beekeepers was observed to be Tshs. 1,075,610 compared to Tshs. 853,454 of non-beekeepers; therefore, the occupation can uplift rural life. Although the occupation was seen as viable, it suffers from a lot of setbacks including; lack of extension support, drought, lack of bee forage, theft of hives and honey and animal predators of bees that together induces 67-73% of annual loss in honey and income. In order to promote the beekeeping industry in Rufiji District, the study recommends that a carefully targeted integrated plan be made for supporting the occupation such as introduction of training programme in beekeeping and formulation of coordinated marketing strategy of the bee products.