Why you should keep bees on a coffee farm  

Before clarification on which other enterprises to go into, Ssekaddu emphasised the importance of good coffee farming practices. 

Good farming practices 
“Successful coffee farming begins with good ground preparation, good planting material selection, manure application, and effective weed control,” he says.

For manure he recommends the use of decayed cow dung mixed with the soil in the holes a few weeks before planting the coffee plantlets.

He also recommends the use of synthetic fertiliser if the farmer cannot get organic fertilisers but he insists that synthetic fertilisers such as DAP, NPK UREA and CAN must be strictly used according to the application guidelines that come with the products. 

Guidance from extension officers 
Farmers must also seek guidance from their area agricultural services extension officers and successful coffee farmers in their neighbourhoods.

He says for Robusta coffee the spacing should be 10 by 10 feet and that for Arabica coffee spacing should be eight by eight feet.

He then goes on to advise the farmers to integrate coffee farming with other activities to diversify their sources of income.  “The farmer may plant beans and groundnuts between the coffee rows as he waits for the coffee to grow tall. He may also plant bananas between the rows at a spacing of 20 by 20 feet where Robusta is planted and at 16 by 16 feet where Arabica coffee is planted.” 

Heavy feeders 
He also says food crops such as cassava, potatoes, and maize may be planted around the coffee garden but not within the garden since they are heavy feeders. He further encourages farmers to place some beehives in their coffee gardens because the bees as pollinators contribute immensely to increased coffee yields besides making honey and other products that can be sold by the farmer.

“The main idea for the alternative crops and beekeeping is for the farmer to keep getting money as he waits for the coffee to generate income,” he says.  “Cloned Robusta coffee takes up to two years before bearing fruit while elite Robusta coffee takes about four years to bear coffee berries and this is quite a long time for the farmer to wait without earning any money. Actually even when the coffee begins to generate income the farmer need not spend money buying food items that can be produced on the coffee farm.”

He goes on to elaborate that if the coffee is well taken care of it is possible to harvest an average of 16 kilogrammes of red ripe coffee cherries annually from each Robusta coffee tree which can be dried and turned into four kilogrammes of kase (FAQ). The current price for kase is Shs15,000.  

Coffee farmers with a wide acreage are quite likely to earn millions of shillings in the next harvest season. “If the farmer had alternative sources of income and did not have to wait for the coffee harvest season to offset some bills he can then get all the season’s earnings in a lump sum to buy a car, or a piece of land or to build a better house.”

Beekeeping 
Shaffic Ssenyimba, Masaka regional coffee extension officer, Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), says the best alternative economic activity for all coffee farmers is beekeeping. “Bees are prolific pollinators and their presence can significantly enhance pollination of coffee flowers,” he says. 

“Improved pollination can lead to better fruit setting and increased coffee yields. This is especially important for varieties such as Arabica coffee, which are self-pollinating but can still benefit from cross-pollination.” He goes on to disclose that better pollination can result in more uniform and well developed coffee cherries. He further said this can lead to higher quality coffee beans, which eventually has a positive impact on the taste and aroma of the final coffee product.

Ssenyimba goes ahead to say that bee keeping is good for environmental sustainability. “Coffee plantations often face environmental challenges such as soil degradation and pest control issues. Bees contribute to the ecological balance by supporting the health of plants and soil through pollination and by participating in natural pest control.

He further mentions diversification of income as one of the major attributes of beekeeping by the coffee farmer. He says that honey and other bee related products can be sold locally or regionally adding a new revenue stream to the coffee business. “Beekeeping can involve local communities in sustainable agricultural practices. It provides an opportunity for education and training in beekeeping skills, environmental conservation and sustainable farming practices.”

Bees control pest 
He further mentions the role of bees in coffee pests’ control. “Bees contribute to natural pest control by preying on some insects that are harmful to coffee plants,” he says. “This reduces the need for chemical pesticides, thus creating a more eco-friendly and sustainable approach to agriculture.”

He believes that successful integration of bee keeping into a coffee plantation requires careful planning, consideration of local conditions, and proper management practices to ensure the well-being of both the bees and the coffee plantation. “All the people working in the coffee plantation ought to be taught how to live with bees because they can be very dangerous if mistreated,” he tells Seeds of Gold.

Ms Namayanja Diana, Research Scientist/Forest Entomologist Naro-NaFORRI has tells Seeds of Gold, that bees are necessary for effective pollination and therefore coffee farmers are strongly encouraged to keep bees. She recommends keeping some eight bee-hives in an acre of coffee plantation. 

Gerald Ssendaula, former Finance minister and now a farmer, keeps close to 100 bee-hives on one of his coffee farms, measuring more than 60 acres and located at Kyabbogo Village in Kingo Sub-county, Lwengo District.  

“My main reason for keeping bees is to cause more pollination for the coffee that I grow,” he says. “Of course I will harvest honey and other bee related products which can be sold. I look forward to getting that money anyway but for me the main purpose for keeping bees is to increase the farm’s coffee yields.”