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Pollinate to Prosper: Using Cross-Pollination to Increase Agriculture Yields and Conserve Forest Ecosystems

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09 Jan, 2025

This post was originally published on Climate Links

Pollinate to Prosper: Using Cross-Pollination to Increase Agriculture Yields and Conserve Forest Ecosystems
jschoshinski
Tue, 01/07/2025 – 15:53

Researchers estimate that just eight percent of Colombia‘s tropical dry forests remain intact. In Colombia’s Caribbean region, a belt of tropical dry forests in hilly Montes de María is critically endangered and on the verge of disappearing. With the forests go their ability to provide crucial habitat, support livelihoods, and sequester carbon.  

In addition, climate change is negatively impacting the region’s pollinators. Rising temperatures and changing weather patterns can disrupt the synchronization between plants and pollinators, leading to temporal mismatches in which pollinators emerge at different times than when crops flower. These mismatches further threaten the important forest ecosystem and the communities that depend on it for their livelihoods.

In Montes de María, José Ibañez is rebuilding one corner of the forest through beekeeping and the use of cross-pollination to improve the lives of farmers and protect the forests that remain. He learned the practice from his uncle after being displaced from his home as a teenager due to armed conflict in the area.  

In 2014, José established Agroroma, an agriculture cooperative including some 100 families, in the municipality of El Carmen de Bolívar. Agroroma integrates apiculture, or beekeeping, with agriculture as a way to increase yields and quality while benefiting the environment and mitigating the effects of climate change.

“If we want to ensure there is harmony between humans, bees, and the forest, we must turn to integrated agriculture,” explained José.

Integrated pollination management has been practiced for centuries by Indigenous Peoples as well as modern farmers. It can be a powerful tool for sustainable development in the tropics that also protects pollinators and boosts family incomes. With support from the USAID-funded Land for Prosperity Activity, José gained the opportunity to spread his knowledge and research new innovations in the field.

At times, we resist change because of fear of losing what little we have. But we have to be able to integrate ancestral knowledge and the progress made by the new generations, so we can adapt to the challenges we now face due to climate change.

José Ibañez
Building Resilient Value Chains

The USAID Land for Prosperity Activity established two public-private partnerships in the honey and sesame value chains in the Colombia Caribbean. The alliances bring together more than 1,100 producers and have mobilized more than $2.7 million through public and private entities. 

Agroroma bridges the honey and sesame partnerships, showing farmers how new and innovative cross-pollination tactics can increase honey and sesame yields. Even though sesame flowers can self-pollinate, bee pollination can increase sesame yields by up to one third, while the absence of bee pollinators can lead to yield declines of 60 percent. After testing it in the laboratory, José also believes that the nectar produced by the sesame flower results in higher-quality honey.

To boost pollination, USAID installed two prototype apiaries, made up of 20 “smart hives” that maintain a stable internal temperature close to the sesame crops. Cross-pollination helps increase genetic diversity, resulting in a higher quantity and better quality of seeds and more resilient plants that are better prepared to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

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Three people in beekeeper suits stand around a box-shaped hive

To boost pollination, USAID has provided “smart hives” that help increase genetic diversity, resulting in higher quantity and quality yields.

Once the process of cross-pollination has begun, the amount of honey produced by each hive increases, and the production of sesame seeds increases too.

José Ibañez

While the cross-pollination project is still a pilot, it has already produced results that give beekeepers and farmers an opportunity to maximize yields while stabilizing ecosystems. At the same time, beekeeping and the concept of cross-pollination discourage deforestation and the clearing of land for agriculture.

For example, the farmers of Agroroma have abandoned the use of controlled burns as well as chemical pesticides and fertilizers to ensure they do not contaminate the tropical forest. The farmers who have cattle use entomopathogenic fungus as a biopesticide to control ticks and other insects without polluting their water sources, meat, or milk. In this way, they also make sure that the plants and flowers that their bees forage are clean.

These eco-friendly agriculture models are also paying off financially as they have attracted commercial buyers, such as supermarket chain Megatienda and restaurant giant Crepes & Waffles. 

In short, by encouraging innovation, USAID is helping communities in the Colombian Caribbean boost their incomes, conserve tropical forests, and mitigate climate change.

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In Montes de María, José Ibañez is rebuilding one corner of the forest through beekeeping and the use of cross-pollination to improve the lives of farmers and protect the forests that remain.

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Tue, 01/07/2025 – 12:00

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Strengthening Community Resilience through Sustainable Non-Timber Forest Products

Strengthening Community Resilience through Sustainable Non-Timber Forest Products

Strengthening Community Resilience through Sustainable Non-Timber Forest Products
jschoshinski
Thu, 01/16/2025 – 18:32

In Zimbabwe, deforestation and habitat loss are not only threatening the country’s biodiversity and ability to mitigate climate change, but also threatening individuals’ livelihoods and their ability to adapt to climate change. Of the nearly 6,000 species of indigenous plants found in the country, some 900 of them are traditionally used as food, cosmetics, or medicine. These non-timber forest products (NTFPs) serve as supplemental sources of income for approximately 60 percent of rural households, providing an important source of income diversification as changes in rainfall—in part due to climate change—threaten traditional agricultural activities. By generating income for rural communities, Zimbabwe’s NTFPs offer a market-led approach to boosting climate resilience. 
The Economic Contribution of Non-Timber Forest Products in Zimbabwe 
In the landscapes where the USAID Resilience ANCHORS Activity works, one in six people, mostly women, rely on forests and wilderness areas for their livelihoods. Resilience ANCHORS supports community-led initiatives and locally prioritized interventions, including conserving forests and developing value chains for key NTFPs, such as Ximenia, mongongo nuts, wooden banana, marula, Kalahari melon seed, and rosella. Forest-based resources from remote, semi-arid regions can contribute up to 35 percent of rural incomes, while NTFP products like thatching grass, wild plant foods, mushrooms, honey, and mopane worms have an estimated annual subsistence value (i.e, the value associated with people using the products to support themselves rather than selling the products) of $294.3 million. Conserving these natural resources leads to strengthened livelihoods and healthier, more stable communities by supporting income diversification, which helps agricultural communities adapt to the impacts of climate change on crop yields.
Using Laws and Regulations to Strengthen Community Resilience
While NTFPs are vital resources for local communities, the lack of transparent laws and regulations has led to overexploitation and missed business opportunities. Limited awareness of the regulatory framework among stakeholders and community members exacerbates this issue. Resilience ANCHORS has supported the formation of NTFP collector groups that have developed formal governance structures, but the next objective is creating long-term sustainability through a robust legal framework that protects the environment and promotes community wellbeing. 
Sustainable harvesting remains critical for the long-term viability of Zimbabwe’s NTFPs, forests, and environment. Resilience ANCHORS, in collaboration with Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Local Government and the Environmental Management Agency, conducted workshops to build awareness of the legislative challenges and foster dialogue. This resulted in the drafting of NTFP Model Bylaw, which seeks to address three key goals:

Fill gaps in the legal framework: Outline benefit-sharing mechanisms to foster fair trade practices, as community ownership and management of NTFPs ensures equitable distribution among stakeholders. 
Promote sustainability: Develop permits to control harvesting, trade volumes, and fees to generate revenue for conservation efforts and capacity-building initiatives.
Provide clear guidelines for NTFP harvesting and benefit-sharing: Specify sustainable harvesting quantities and methods to prevent over-harvesting and safeguard resources for future generations. 

The NTFP Model Bylaw will result in:

Enhanced community resilience through sustainable NTFP management by promoting sustainable livelihoods, environmental conservation, and social cohesion. 
Clarified benefit-sharing mechanisms to reduce exploitation and promote transparency, fairness, and community ownership. 
Informed climate-resilient natural resource management by promoting sustainable harvesting, conserving biodiversity, and enhancing ecosystem resilience. 

Effective implementation of these regulations requires collaboration, capacity-building, and regular monitoring. If adopted and implemented successfully, these regulations could help grow NTFP activities in a way that increases livelihoods and builds community resilience to climate change in Zimbabwe.

Teaser Text
By generating income for rural communities, Zimbabwe’s NTFPs offer a market-led approach to boosting climate resilience.

Publish Date
Thu, 01/16/2025 – 12:00

Author(s)

Itayi Usaiwevhu

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Blog Post

Strategic Objective

Adaptation

Region

Africa

Topic

Adaptation
Agriculture
Biodiversity Conservation
Deforestation and Commodity Production
Economic Growth
Forest/Forestry
Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
Natural Climate Solutions
Resilience
Rural

Country

Zimbabwe

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Adaptation
Agriculture and Food Systems

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