Stakeholders’ diverging interests and emerging resource use conflicts in apiculture in west Usambara mountains, Tanzania

The study was conducted in West Usambara Mountains, Tanzania to assess stakeholders diverging interests and emerging resource use conflicts in apiculture with respect to natural resource management (NRM) by local communities. The study aimed at generating knowledge base for effective governance of NRM by farmers and draw lessons for guiding NRM efforts in the study area. Participatory Rural Appraisal, GIS, focused group discussion; questionnaire survey and participant observation were the methods used in data collection from 98 respondents randomly selected. Data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. The study identified five major land use types of which mixed cultivation and settlements is dominant (75.74%), associated with severe degradation of forest resources largely attributed to community’s socio-economic divergent interests. With regards to apiculture, the majority of individual small scale farmers (73%) were driven by socio-economic interests than NRM. On the other hand, farmers’ groups (10%) showed high interest in both economic and conservation of natural resources followed by faith based organisations (FBOs) (7%). Stakeholders’ diverging interests in apiculture were significantly influenced by educational level (p=0.010); household size (p=0.006); marital status (p=0.011) and major economic activities (p=0.029). The most prevalent conflicts in the study area were between farmers practising apiculture and fellow farmers (74%) followed by neighbours (16%). The identified resource use conflicts in apiculture were significantly influenced by the level of interest (p = 0.025) and age (p = 0.032) of the respondents at p<0.05. The study demonstrated that for small scale farmers to engage in NRM, economic interest is vital. The study recommends that efforts should be directed towards promotion of apiculture as an economic incentive for sustainable NRM. A stepped up and focused approach for mobilization of small scale farmers as beekeepers coupled with establishment of a coordinated framework for NRM is strongly recommended.