Guardians of our ecosystems and teachers of humanity
Bees are essential to global ecosystems, supporting agriculture and biodiversity. Their decline threatens food sovereignty and livelihoods, especially in Africa. Dr. Venter Mwongera, Communications Lead at the African Biodiversity Network, highlights the need to protect bees, offering valuable lessons in sustainability, cooperation, and resilience for humanity’s future.
Bees are key pollinators, responsible for around 75% of the world’s flowering plants, meaning much of the food we rely on is directly linked to their work. The crops we consume daily—fruits, vegetables, and nuts, from avocados in Central America to almonds in California—are all thanks to bees. Their role in Africa is even more crucial, where staple crops not only feed local populations but also drive economic growth.
In Africa, bees pollinate essential crops like watermelons, mangoes, avocados, passion fruit, and sunflowers. These are not only critical for local food supply but also form part of Africa’s export market. For example, coffee—one of Africa’s largest exports, especially from countries like Ethiopia—benefits hugely from bee pollination. Research shows that coffee plants pollinated by bees produce higher-quality beans and larger yields, boosting farmers’ income. Sunflowers, vital for oil production, also rely heavily on bees. Without these pollinators, Africa’s agricultural landscape would change drastically, endangering millions of livelihoods.
Beyond agriculture, bees help maintain biodiversity by pollinating wild plants, enabling ecosystems to flourish. In African savannahs and forests, bees support the growth of wildflowers and trees, which, in turn, provide food and shelter for many species. Essentially, bees are keystone species, crucial to maintaining the delicate balance of life.
A critical partnership
For farming communities, particularly in developing regions, bees are indispensable. Globally, bee pollination supports around 35% of the world’s agricultural production, directly impacting billions of people. In Africa, where agriculture provides significant employment and income, the relationship between bees and farming is especially important.
In West Africa, cashew and cocoa production depends on bee pollination. Cashews, a major export crop, benefit from bees’ efforts, resulting in higher yields and better-quality nuts. Similarly, in cocoa plantations across countries like Ghana and Ivory Coast, where much of the world’s chocolate originates, bees play a critical role in increasing fruit production and quality.
In East Africa, coffee farmers rely on bees to improve both the quantity and quality of their crops. A well-pollinated coffee farm not only produces more beans but also higher-grade ones, fetching better prices on the global market. This vital pollination service from bees significantly boosts the livelihoods of farmers and their families.
Bees’ importance to African agriculture extends beyond economic gains. Local diets depend heavily on fruits and vegetables pollinated by bees, such as pumpkins, cucumbers, and melons—essential staples in many regions that provide key nutrients. Without bees, the availability of these foods would decrease, threatening food sovereignty and nutrition for millions of people.
The global decline of bees and its impact on Africa
In recent years, bee populations have been declining worldwide at an alarming rate, and Africa is no exception. This decline is caused by a variety of factors, including habitat loss from urbanisation and deforestation, excessive pesticide use, and the effects of climate change. These trends are especially concerning in Africa, where growing populations and expanding farmland are putting increasing pressure on natural ecosystems. In countries like Kenya and Tanzania, deforestation is reducing the natural habitats that bees depend on for food and nesting. As forests and grasslands are cleared for agriculture, bees lose the wild plants they need for survival. This not only threatens bee populations but also harms the ecosystems that rely on them.
The decline in bee populations poses a severe threat to global food sovereignty, particularly in regions like Africa, where so many livelihoods depend on agriculture. As bee numbers dwindle, crop yields fall, leading to reduced harvests. This can directly affect food availability, resulting in higher prices and increased hunger in vulnerable communities. For Africa’s smallholder farmers, who form the bulk of the agricultural workforce, these changes could be devastating.
Lessons from bees: Cooperation, sustainability, and resilience
Despite their small size, bees teach us invaluable lessons about how we can better organise and sustain our societies. The first lesson is cooperation. Bees live in highly structured colonies where each member has a specific role that benefits the whole community. Worker bees gather nectar, drones mate with the queen, and the queen lays eggs to ensure the hive’s survival. Every bee’s effort contributes to the success of the hive, showing how collective action leads to the common good. This model of cooperation can be applied to human society, especially in addressing the challenges of sustainability and resource management. Like bees, we must work together to ensure that our actions today do not jeopardise the future.
The second lesson bees offer is sustainability. Bees take only what they need from their environment and, in doing so, help sustain the plants they depend on. Their relationship with nature is mutual—both bees and plants benefit. Humans, by contrast, often exploit resources excessively, leading to environmental damage and depletion. As the world grapples with climate change and dwindling resources, bees provide a model for sustainable living.
Lastly, bees exemplify resilience. Over millions of years, they have adapted to changing environments, from shifting climates to threats like parasites. This adaptability is key to their survival and provides a powerful lesson for humanity. In a world facing climate change, population growth, and biodiversity loss, we too must learn to adapt and build resilience in the face of uncertainty.
A global call to protect bees
The global importance of bees, particularly in Africa, cannot be overstated. They are the invisible workers of our food systems, the guardians of biodiversity, and examples of cooperation and sustainability. Without them, ecosystems would collapse, and human livelihoods would suffer significantly. A coordinated global effort is needed to protect bees and their habitats. This involves promoting sustainable farming practices, reducing pesticide use, and conserving natural ecosystems. By protecting bees, we are not only safeguarding our food systems and ecosystems but also securing our future. Bees remind us of the delicate balance of life and the urgent need to embrace their lessons of cooperation, sustainability, and resilience.
