Why Uganda’s coffee ambitions may depend on bees

What the report says

Uganda’s drive to sharply raise coffee output may hinge on a factor that is often left out of farm policy: bees. In a report published by The Observer, the Uganda National Apiculture Development Organization (TUNADO) said the government should treat bees as an agricultural input, alongside fertilizers and improved seedlings, because pollination is essential to higher yields. The group raised the issue during the Fourth Africa Region Apimondia Symposium in Uganda.

TUNADO executive director Dickson Biryomumaisho and board chair Robert Kajobe said bees are especially important for coffee and other crops Uganda is promoting, including cashew, macadamia, avocado, citrus and mangoes. Their argument comes as President Yoweri Museveni has set a target of 20 million bags of coffee a year. The organization says that target will be difficult to reach through conventional inputs alone if pollinators are declining.

The report also notes wider pressure on bee habitats as land is cleared for settlement and farming. TUNADO is encouraging farmers to keep small areas of vegetation or habitat on their land to support pollinators, and it has promoted mixed farming systems that combine coffee, macadamia and bees. More broadly, the story suggests Uganda’s agricultural planning may need to account not only for what farmers plant, but also for the ecological services that make those crops productive.