A group of enterprising farmers from Mzimba district operating under “Malangazi Natural Resources Management Cooperative” has developed an innovative way of protecting forests by using beekeeping to keep out illegal loggers.
Apart from helping to deter wanton cutting down of trees, the farmers are also making an income through collection of honey products.
The cooperative’s chairperson Prince Moyo has told ProjectM in an interview that since the launch of the exercise 5 years ago, more forests located in the district have naturally regenerated.
He cited Kaso Natural Forest located in the North of Mzimba as one of the forests that have had its trees regenerated since the exercise was launched.
“For instance, a lot of people surrounding Kaso forest which also contains Kaso river used to cut trees mercilessly which made the river to start drying up. But now the forest is blooming with trees and the river is now intact,” Moyo said.
He said Malangazi Natural Resources Management Cooperative has over 20 clubs with a minimum members of over 20 members in each club, a development that has made it effective on the ground.
“Before launching this exercise, we used to have very few shrubs here and there to the extent that even wildlife disappeared, but now everything has changed,” said Moyo
The cooperative harvests hundreds of litres of honey per year from dozens of beehives mounted in the forests.
“My family has benefited a lot from beekeeping because the money we get from the sale of honey products has helped me to purchase goats, pay school fees and purchase pigs,” he added.
Environmental expert Maloto Chimkombero believes time has come for citizens to emulate what the Mzimba based cooperative is doing, saying it is a sustainable way of conserving the environment.
“Environmental conservation is not necessarily about preventing people from using natural resources but rather providing a win-win situation like what our colleagues are doing,” he said.
