Agriculture is a key pillar of Uganda’s economy. Improving production is a major goal but many of the actions geared to realizing this goal pay little attention to agrobiodiversity that facilitates production. Insect pollinators are essential for the production of many fruits and seeds that are consumed and/or traded. Notable examples include coffee, passion fruit, beans and avocado. In Uganda, information on pollinators and their value is scanty. There is some awareness about honeybees but honeybees are just one of many types of insect pollinators. Furthermore, honeybees are not always the most efficient pollinators for some crops. Improving production for many crops will require knowledge of the pollinators of those crops. This knowledge is presently lacking.

BeeDIP is working to generate information on the types of bees in Uganda and demonstrate their value to food security and the health of people. The information will be packaged so that it is readily understood and used by a range of stakeholders. Another goal of the project is to build capacity for pollination research and educational material that can be utilized by educators and other researchers.

Dr. Anne M. Akol

Director, BeeDIP Project & the Pollination Knowledge Hub

Department of Zoology, Entomology & Fisheries Sciences
College of Natural Sciences,
Makerere University

anne.akol[at]mak.ac.ug or zoology[at]mak.ac.ug

Farmers shall appreciate the contribution of bees (and other pollinators) to crop production and know which plants to maintain around their farms/gardens so as to attract bees. Different agencies of government will be able to use the information to assess the integrity of agricultural landscapes, to monitor the status of biodiversity using bees (or other pollinator species) and to apply the evidence in environmental advocacy and crop production efforts. Educators at various levels shall have locally developed examples of beneficial insects and the pollination process, topics that are taught in science and biology at higher levels.