A group of Maasai women in northern Tanzania has turned to beekeeping to generate income as a recurring drought puts pressure on their cattle farming communities. Beekeeping is an initiative that will helps to regenerate the environment and secure children’s future. Maria Shinini, a successful beekeeper, started her business with five hives and equipment, and now she and the other women have 76 hives on a communal plot on the outskirts of the Monduli district in the Arusha region.
Training and support
The women receive training from an umbrella network of smallholders, farmers, and pastoralists, supported by the Forest and Farm Facility, a partnership between the Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, as well as the International Institute for Environment and Development and AgriCord. The training emphasizes the crucial role of taking care of vegetation in the care and management of bees, teaching the women that the environment needs to be taken care of, especially water catchments. The women also receive training on producing, labeling, and branding their own products to maximize their value.
New products and opportunities
Beekeeping is big business in Tanzania, but traditionally it is only Maasai men who do the job. The women have learned to combine forces with other beekeepers to access new markets. As a result, a new product, “garlic honey,” is planned. Previously, the women’s thought was to harvest honey and wait for customers during a season, but now they can do business all year round as a result of the value chain. As a result of beekeeping, Maria has been able to buy goats and educate her children. This year, her plan is to build a house. The women’s new business ventures ensure their children’s future and help to regenerate nature. As women become successful in beekeeping and honey production, it leads to increased respect for them in the community because it shows that Maasai women can do important things.
