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A group of 30, a motley of men and women, young and old are seating in an old classroom, in a remote village of Mwenjeni, 50 Kilometers from Diani, the de facto tourist capital of Kenya in the country’s South Coast.
It is 10am on a June Thursday and the eager Kwale County residents, who for the longest time have eked their living from the sea are attending a beekeeping class from one of their own – Rajab Bidu.
This is what Bidu does oftentimes.
But Bidu wasn't always a professor of apiculture. A decade ago, the ocean was his classroom, and the rhythmic crash of waves was his daily lesson. But the tides were changing. As a fisherman, Bidu witnessed firsthand the dwindling marine resources.
Then came the bees. A chance encounter in 2008 sparked a new fire in him.
“My journey in bee keeping started in 2008. I was 24 years old then, when the concept of beekeeping was introduced to me by a mentor. He needed a young and literate individual to help him in managing the record of the beekeepers group he managed then. This opportunity came at the right time. I was transitioning from fishing, a venture that had with time become more tedious and less productive. It wasn’t until 2012 that I owned my first three hives.” Bidu offered.
A small beginning you could argue.
Like a mustard seed, his hives multiplied and tripled in the numbers and by the year 2021, he had 45 hives. In the same year, he made profit margins of an outstanding Kenya shillings 500,000.
But then, he met a major huddle. His apiary was broken into, and his 45-hive destroyed beyond reparable measure. Bidu was devastated. His nine years of work had gone down the drain.
Fast forward 2 years later, Bidu has bounced back. His hive number standing at a tall 30. His five-year goal is 100 hives. He has improved his knowledge in beekeeping and is now an apiculture trainer, transversing the country, from the quite Kwale County, to the leafy Kisii county, bustling port city of Kisumu and in this phase, his community gets to drink from his deep wells of apiculture knowledge. This very opportunity has been made possible by our most recent partnership with the Livelihood Impact Fund. This intervention is geared towards: Empowering beekeepers to maximize their profits through a sustainable and smarter approach in production and processing of mangrove honey; consequently, reducing pressure on marine resources and mangrove habitats.
Who better to steer this than Bidu, who does not only understand mangrove apiculture but also the dynamics of the targeted members?
This 3-year project will engage 100 mangrove beekeepers drawn from three bee keeping groups in Majoreni, Yungi and Mwenjeni villages. Within the project implementation phase, the members will each receive up to 15 hives and hive tools, construction of shared apiaries, honey processing and storage units and will in addition be linked to better mangrove honey markets. Continuous training and mentorship in business skills, life skills, best practices in apiculture and leadership will be provided. In the long run, the proceeds generated by these groups will be used to establish eco-credit groups in their communities. These eco-credit groups will serve as village bank facilities that will provide affordable, accessible and convenient loans for the communities to support other livelihood needs they may have while they participate in conservation.
Coastal communities in Kwale County are surrounded by unique marine habitats and resources spanning from the vast ocean, fish, mangrove forests, corals and many more. However, with a rapid increase in human population, modernization of fishing methods, use of destructive fishing gears and methods and not forgetting climate change, these fragile resources have come under imminent threat. It is now more urgent to safeguard these resources and use them sustainable, to support the current and future human needs. But how do we do this?
When people get the opportunity to benefit from nature without affecting its integrity, it serves both the people and the environment. People are incentivized to practice mindful resources use and management through avenues like mangrove planting, which is done in Majoreni, Mwenjeni and Yungi villages.
This LIF supported and COMRED implemented mangrove apiculture project is meant to address the delicate balance between meeting human needs and conservation. The targeted beneficiaries will engage in bee keeping in mangrove forest within their localities. The bees will act as a source of income for them and as soldiers of the mangroves deterring any mangrove loggers and fishing bait diggers who ultimately destroy mangrove forests. A thriving mangrove environment promotes the overall health of the ocean: Mangroves provide a safe nursery habitat for a wide variety of marine animals such as fish which has a ripple effect on ensuring food security, and acts as a barrier protecting people living near the ocean against extreme weather events such as hurricanes. For Bidu, this project puts him closer to achieving his five-year goal to have 100 hives and keeping him off the ocean.
“This intervention has not only given me hope but my entire community. Since I started bee keeping, I have never gone back to the ocean for fish. I stay at home and tent to my hives and family.” Rajab Bidu.
