Bee products take the sting out of poverty for Zimbabwean families
Date Posted: July 30th, 2012
Garikai Samaita grew up afraid of bees. But now the 36-year-old Zimbabwean farmer is making a living by selling honey from his own hives. An NGO project is helping him and 5,000 other families in drought-stricken areas of the country gain extra income from honey and other bee products such as propolis and beeswax.
In Cameroon, a different group of animal farmers is not faring so well. African swine fever has been spreading through the country since April. To halt the spread of the virus, authorities are checking farms and slaughtering infected swine. As the price of pig meat plummets, farmers are desperate and hope for government aid.
Our final story comes from Guinea-Conakry. A group of women have established a successful market gardening business. They sell their wares at the farm gate and through a community wholesaler. The women are facing a number of challenges, including access to land and increasing urbanization. But for now, the business is flourishing, and members are enjoying the benefits of increased income.
Don’t forget to read our other items this week. Our Action section is a reminder that fifteen of Farm Radio International’s most popular scripts are now available online in Kiswahili and Hausa! We’d love your feedback if you use these scripts.
Talk to you next week!
-The Farm Radio Weekly team
