Beekeeping Initiative Creates Sweet Dreams For Zambia’s Youth
Location: Central Province, Zambia
Through the development of sustainable, environmentally-conscious farming techniques and an initiative to teach enterprising young farmers the ancient art of beekeeping, communities in Zambia are not only fostering skills for an affluent future but ensuring that today’s youth are the leaders and business people of tomorrow.
PARTNERS
Common Earth are delighted to be partnering with May East and Gaia Education on this ground-breaking project.
AIMS
There is a dynamic link between sustainable forest management and beekeeping. Climate change, higher demand for fuelwood, and unsustainable practices of agri-business are starting to impact upon this unique Zambian ecosystem. The conservation agriculture and beekeeping activities promoted by ZYCALA have been developed as a regenerative strategy to support rural youth and ensure that their homes and livelihoods are not jeopardised by irreparable damage to the land.
CONTEXT
Covering much of the Zambia Central Province, the Miombo woodlands are home to a diverse ecosystem that notably includes bees. Amongst its 8,500 diverse, native plant species (including the Brachystegia, Julbernardia and Isoberlinia trees) bees find an abundance of nectar and secure locations in which to establish their hives.
The Miombo woodlands also support the livelihoods of 150 million people across the region. Among them are a generation of enterprising young people who are harnessing the woodlands and its natural resources to create a sustainable and regenerative future for themselves and their communities.
This smart initiative has given rise to a three-year youth-focused project named the Zambian Youth for Conservation, Agriculture and Livelihood Action (ZYCALA)
Zambia has a rich history of conservation and cultural heritage. Chitambo in particular, nestled in the Miombo woodlands, is the land where the Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingstone lived until his death in 1873. In fact, the first written records of Zambian beehives date back to 1854, when Livingstone described log and bark hives, suspended from branches, used by the Central Province people.
Beekeeping first became a commercial activity in Zambia when Portuguese traders from Angola came searching for beeswax in the 1890s. 130 years later a Portuguese/Angolan buyer came to inspect the honey house that is being built to process ZYCALA honey, paving the way for the export to European ethical markets. History has come full circle for the young people of ZYCALA.
METHOD
The project was initially funded by the Scottish Government and led by Gaia Education, Young Emerging Farmers Initiative and WWF Zambia. Today it is empowering a generation of young farmers, in particular women, to incorporate conservation agriculture practices into their farming. The methods offer cutting-edge insight into the development of demonstration gardens, raising poultry, and bee keeping.
Wild honey has been farmed and consumed across this region for centuries and until these new schemes has been regarded as a traditionally male occupation. Through ZYCALA’s efforts, women finally have an equal role in this ancient and culturally significant process. Together the young participants are honing lifelong skills in a career that will sustain them, their communities and their natural environment for generations. Currently, the group have built and are managing 174 beehives.
Global conversations around consuming ethically sourced, local food could not come at a more fortuitous time for the organisers and young farmers of ZYCALA. The demand for organic produce increases every year in Zambia. Health-conscious consumers are more proactively involved in understanding how and where their food is produced and at what cost to the land. This demand has enabled ZYCALA to influence the food production practices of their districts over the last two years, with more farmers seeking to adopt regenerative methods that benefit them and the environment. And the financial results have been promising. Youth groups are generating income to then buy seeds for the next season or increase their animal stocks. Many are also saving for their studies.
The project has adopted a ‘beyond-aid’ model of sustainable development. This approach promotes a shift in language and intention from beneficiaries to stakeholders and partners. Our ZYCALA partners are now active in the decision-making process, shaping policies and cooperatives informed by their local needs. This project will be contributing to Zambia’s current annual production of honey, worth over US$2 million a year and driven by an estimated 30,000 smallholder beekeepers selling 2000 tonnes a year. ZYCALA honey production will be offered in both national and international markets from December 2019.
The ZYCALA story is indicative of the new ways in which contemporary agricultural work is increasingly conducted. No longer passive recipients of aid, communities instead seek new ways to fund development such as impact investing, crowdfunding, transparent giving, social enterprises and community-led cooperatives.
The ZYCALA team is also outward looking. The EU, the largest global consumer of honey, has strict food and safety regulations. Accounting for more than 20% of the total global consumption, the EU also buys the unique Miombo honey. The ZYCALA honey house has therefore been built to meet Zambian and EU regulations.
This project has been showcased in several Central Province agricultural fairs to great acclaim. Through social media, ZYCALA has reached out to 300,000 young people, sharing knowledge about ecosystems regeneration and advocacy campaigns so that they too can raise awareness about the need for natural systems management.
As well as contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – in particular SDG 1, which aims to end poverty and hunger, and SDG 15, which promotes life on land – the project is also empowering young women. As one young female ZYCALA member shared:
“I have learnt a lot about what it means to be a leader and how we as young people should lead initiatives such as conservation farming and beekeeping to redress generational cycles of poverty and malnutrition and create livelihood opportunities for ourselves.”
Giving young women – and men – the power to shape their own sustainable futures might be the most important legacy of ZYCALA.