By Bazilio Chingoli

Ntcheu February 24, Mana: Farmers in Ntcheu district have been encouraged to adopt beekeeping as one way of income generation.

The call was made by the Senior Assistant Forest officer for the district, Clotrilda Kandota, during a media engagement meeting and field visit organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with farmers from Nsipe, Tsangano and Njolomole Extension Planning Areas (EPAs) in the district.

Kandota said there is a mutual environmental relationship between bees and trees, and as such, it is important to conserve forests to attract bees and generate income in turn.

"As part of ensuring agriculture and food systems transformation, through the AREECA project, we are encouraging farmers to practice sustainable natural resources and environment management by practising afforestation, natural tree regeneration as well as planting flowering plants that attract bees and covering bare lands to control soil erosion", Kandota added.

On their part, farmers have commended FAO for its technical support, capacity building and inputs, saying the support has helped them to change their mindset and become food secure.

Philip Matoliwo, a farmer from Kamuuzeni village within Njolomole EPA agreed with Kandota stressing that bee farming has proven to be an ideal way of supporting natural tree regeneration and protecting forests.

"Since we started beekeeping in our area, we have seen a remarkable change in the degree of deforestation due to bylaws we put in place to protect our trees," he said.

However, Matoliwo expressed worry about ants that disrupt the stay of bees when they enter the beehives.

Meanwhile, Madalo Chunga, Assistant Forest officer for Njolomole EPA advised beekeepers to use natural remedies such as ash to deal with the problem.

As part of ensuring sustainable forest management and catchment management for Mpira dam, FAO through the AREECA project has given farmers bee hives, supported irrigation schemes by constructing weirs, and provided goats under the pass-on program, among other interventions.

AREECA project is implemented by the Government of Malawi through the Department of Forest and is funded by the Government of Germany.