In a small village in Zimbabwe, farmers like Ariko* are innovating.
With every day that goes by, the climate around him is fundamentally changing. As his community lives through extended periods of drought and erratic rainfall, the ways they once lived off the land are no longer sustainable.
And so, Ariko is becoming a beekeeper.
Ariko* is one of the farmers involved in our local partners’ beekeeping pilot in Zimbabwe. Act for Peace
He’s one of many farmers recruited by our local partner in Zimbabwe, Christian Care, to trial a range of pilot activities to help farmers diversify the ways they can earn an income.
Engaging with the latest climate science, Christian Care is equipping farmers like Ariko with new livelihood skills, equipment, and expert training in areas such as fish farming, small livestock farming, and of course, beekeeping.
The goal is to ensure that farmers aren’t ‘putting all their eggs in one basket’ and can continue to grow food, earn an income and ultimately, have a safe place to belong for years to come.
While picking up beekeeping has been a steep learning curve for Ariko, the benefits of the practice are twofold. Not only can he make good money from selling the honey, but there are also the added environmental benefits of cross-pollination when the beekeeping units are set up next to other crops.
“There’s a real science around it which the farmers are all learning along the way, and we’ve had reports back from farmers involved in the project that they’re just ecstatic”, says Tracey, one of our International Project Coordinators who has helped support Christian Care with the pilot launch.
The beekeeping pilot is the epitome of creativity, innovation and sustainability – all of which we know are essential to tackling the global climate crisis.
And still, closer to home this week, a new report came out showing that tech giants like Amazon, Apple and Google are still lagging on their promise to reduce their emissions footprint – brands who actively pride themselves on innovation.
While communities like Ariko’s continue to innovate and lead initiatives to reduce the impact of climate-driven displacement, the world’s leaders and corporate firms must be doing the same to address the climate crisis at a systemic level.
Because, for Ariko, the impacts of climate change are being felt right now.
We want to thank our supporters for continuing to back communities in Zimbabwe on the frontline of the climate crisis. With your help and the support of the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP), this work is possible.
We hope Ariko’s willingness to innovate, learn and adapt can serve as inspiration as we continue to tackle the climate crisis together.
*Name has been changed
