Women-led holistic habitat protection and elephant coexistence in Tanzania
Post
Published 02. Mar 2023 by francesca_mahoney in
Upper Kitete Elephant Corridor
A circular economy for forest-friendly livelihoods!

To meet the needs of the women’s beekeeping group, who are now equipped with new skills in quality honey processing, and to support frontline farmers with a reliable income stream from their beehive fence along the Ngorongoro Highlands Forest, we introduced a honey spot market at the end of February. This was in view of creating a highly effective circular economy within the community, whilst driving sustainable income to both farmers and women beekeepers who are proactively promoting coexistence with elephants and preserving critical forest reserves. An agreement was established with the beehive fence farmers, for the bee ladies to purchase their top bar honey at the point of harvest. Upon checking the buckets at the hub, to ensure quality requirements were met (e.g. farmers had not harvested brood comb or pollen), the women would pay the farmer on the spot per kg. The price was calculated based on the local market rate of unprocessed raw honey (10,000 Tsh/$3.50 US per KG). Farmers were immediately incentivised by the honey spot market, to take greater care of their hives and bee colonies, and be more proactive with regular inspections, supported by our Wild Survivors field team. This agreement also removed the need for farmers to find time for processing, packaging, marketing, and honey sales, and instead, continue with farming activities while proactively baiting empty hives and maintaining their section of the elephant-deterring beehive fence.
We connected honey customers to the NARI Women’s Group, including safari lodges, NCA tourist visitors, and Conservation Partners. Wild Survivors supplied the jars and labels for the initial phase so that the ladies could process and package their first major batch of honey supplied by fireline farmers, and make a good profit on this honey flow. Profits could then be reinvested their enterprise for future harvests. Between February and March, 91.5kg of honey was processed at the hub by the group, supporting ten farmers with 910,500 Tsh of income ($380 USD). The NARI Women's Group then sell each 290g jar of beautifully raw 'Never Forget Honey' for 30,000 Tsh/$10.00 US per jar, bringing in a very healthy profit margin for the Bee Ladies of Upper Kitete, and a regular income source for the farmers.
The new honey economy is enriching the community with a sustainable forest-friendly income driving a direct benefit from coexistence with elephants, the preservation of the corridor forest, and active participation in project design and implementation; the community are taking the lead on local conservation decisions, family nutrition, and female empowerment.