Tanzania: Beekeeping for Sustainable Livelihoods and Climate Resilience

The document details the experience of the Mashujaa group, a collective of young women in Uhamaka, Tanzania, who transitioned from sunflower and maize cultivation to beekeeping after erratic rainfall patterns led to repeated crop failures. With technical support from SEMA and SNV, the group implemented modern beehives, increasing honey production from 5-7 litres per hive to 20 litres. Despite initial community opposition based on gender stereotypes, the initiative has improved the economic and social status of the members, providing a model for locally-led adaptation and the importance of climate-smart technology for smallholder farmers.

• In the Singida region of Tanzania, erratic and inconsistent rainfall patterns, with annual totals between 500 and 800 mm, negatively impact the agricultural sector, food supply, biodiversity, and livelihoods, sometimes leading to family displacement and poverty.
• The Mashujaa group of young women shifted from cultivating sunflower and maize to beekeeping because crop production was consistently low due to climate change, whereas beekeeping is more profitable and less affected by climate variability.
• Technical support and training provided by the Sustainable Environment Management Action (SEMA) and the Foundation of Netherlands Volunteers (SNV) enabled the group to transition from local beehives producing 5-7 litres of honey to modern beehives producing 20 litres.
• The initiative faced social barriers as community members initially viewed beekeeping activities, such as climbing trees to install hives, as unfit for women; however, the group's success has since positioned them as role models.
• The case highlights the necessity of disseminating climate-smart technology to smallholder farmers and providing entrepreneurship programs and mentorship to youth and female-led groups to combat the effects of climate variability on agricultural productivity.

APA

Danny, J., Mnyororo, C., Hamisi, E., & Msumba, E. (2022). Tanzania: Beekeeping for Sustainable Livelihoods and Climate Resilience. Global Resilience Partnership. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/tanzania-beekeeping-for-sustainable-livelihoods-and-climate-resilience/

Chicago

Danny, Jerry, Charles Mnyororo, Emmanuel Hamisi, and Emmanuel Msumba. Tanzania: Beekeeping for Sustainable Livelihoods and Climate Resilience. Global Resilience Partnership, 2022. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/tanzania-beekeeping-for-sustainable-livelihoods-and-climate-resilience/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Danny |first1=Jerry |last2=Mnyororo |first2=Charles |last3=Hamisi |first3=Emmanuel |last4=Msumba |first4=Emmanuel |title=Tanzania: Beekeeping for Sustainable Livelihoods and Climate Resilience |publisher=Global Resilience Partnership |date=8 August 2022 |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/tanzania-beekeeping-for-sustainable-livelihoods-and-climate-resilience/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{danny2022tanzania, author = {Danny, Jerry and Mnyororo, Charles and Hamisi, Emmanuel and Msumba, Emmanuel}, title = {{Tanzania: Beekeeping for Sustainable Livelihoods and Climate Resilience}}, institution = {Global Resilience Partnership}, year = {2022}, month = aug, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/tanzania-beekeeping-for-sustainable-livelihoods-and-climate-resilience/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }