Coffee is the biggest cash crop for Uganda with robusta coffee being the most grown in the country.
However, many coffee farmers tend to kill bees on their farms because they do not know the benefits these insect have on coffee farms.
Bees on a coffee plantation, according Abdallar Mangalijji, a coffee in Kabarole district, do not only increase the quantity of the seeds produced but also make for a sweeter cup of coffee for the drinker.
Mangalijji adds that bees play an important role when it comes to coffee by acting as a pollination booster. Their work means that coffee plants produce 20-25% more fruit.
“Coffee plants are favourable crops for nectar to bees, therefore, a farmer can make this a side business of keeping bees or even collect little honey for home consumption. Plus, some diseases can be prevented by honey and bees themselves when they sting you,” he explains.
