Abstract:
The study was conducted in West Usambara Mountains, Tanzania to assess
stakeholders diverging interests and emerging resource use conflicts in apiculture
with respect to natural resource management (NRM) by local communities. The
study aimed at generating knowledge base for effective governance of NRM by
farmers and draw lessons for guiding NRM efforts in the study area. Participatory
Rural Appraisal, GIS, focused group discussion; questionnaire survey and participant
observation were the methods used in data collection from 98 respondents randomly
selected. Data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical
analyses. The study identified five major land use types of which mixed cultivation
and settlements is dominant (75.74%), associated with severe degradation of forest
resources largely attributed to community’s socio-economic divergent interests. With
regards to apiculture, the majority of individual small scale farmers (73%) were
driven by socio-economic interests than NRM. On the other hand, farmers’ groups
(10%) showed high interest in both economic and conservation of natural resources
followed by faith based organisations (FBOs) (7%). Stakeholders’ diverging interests
in apiculture were significantly influenced by educational level (p=0.010); household
size (p=0.006); marital status (p=0.011) and major economic activities (p=0.029).
The most prevalent conflicts in the study area were between farmers practising
apiculture and fellow farmers (74%) followed by neighbours (16%). The identified
resource use conflicts in apiculture were significantly influenced by the level of
interest (p = 0.025) and age (p = 0.032) of the respondents at p<0.05. The study
demonstrated that for small scale farmers to engage in NRM, economic interest is
vital. The study recommends that efforts should be directed towards promotion of
apiculture as an economic incentive for sustainable NRM. A stepped up and focused
approach for mobilization of small scale farmers as beekeepers coupled with
establishment of a coordinated framework for NRM is strongly recommended.
