Factors Affecting Agroforestry Sustainability in Bee Endemic Parts of Southeastern Nigeria

ABSTRACT

This paper attempts, in an exploratory manner, to identify the various ways in which unsustainable beekeeping and honey hunting practices result in the loss of important multi-purpose agroforestry tree species in bee endemic parts of Southeastern Nigeria. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches (Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA), community fora, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and semi-structured interview schedules) were used in an interactive manner to collect data for this study from five randomly selected communities in Nsukka, Igbo-Etiti, Uzo-Uwani, Igbo-Eze South and Udenu Local Government Areas of Enugu State. Results show that beekeeping/honey hunting in the area is traditionally gender-specific occupations involving only male members of the households, while female members play an active role in processing, preserving, and marketing the products. The majority (69.6%) of the beekeepers/ honey hunters were within the age range of 31–50, and most (75.2%) of them did not receive secondary school education. Findings reveal that outright felling of some trees in order to extract honey, cutting tree trunks open and/or cutting down tree branches and setting surrounding bush on fire are among the major factors negatively impacting on the agroforestry of the area. Species of trees particularly at risk include Irvingia gabonensis, young Chlorophera excelsa, Raphia spp., Elaeis guineensis, Brachystegia eurycome, Dialium guineense, Erythrophleum guineese and Strychnos spinosa. Recommendations are proffered to improve harvesting practices for hive and other non-timber forest products in order to avert the erosion of natural resource base of the fragile farming ecosystem of the area.