Mountain Apiculture and Environmental Dynamics: Impact of Climate Variability on Bee Farming in OKU, CAMEROON.

This study aims at analyzing the effects of climate variability on bee farming in Mount Oku. The guiding premise is that climate variability has brought about environmental changes causing a fall in the quantity and quality of honey. A mixed research approach was adopted in collecting data. Questionnaires were administered to 90 purposively selected bee farmers and interviews conducted with key actors in honey production. SPSS, version 20.0 was used to analyze data while the cumulative difference index helped establish climatic anomalies and trends. Findings revealed falling rainfall trends with marked seasonal variations. Temperatures show a rising trend with little but sensitive anomalies. This has affected periods of flowering for bee plants as acknowledged by 97% of bee farmers. Hive colonization rate has been decreasing (74% - 55%), with an increasing rate of abscond (34% -46%), resulting in a reduction in honey yields. Climate variability has increased the magnitude of other environmental stressors such as bush fires and forest degradation, while reducing the growing period of some bee plants. The coping strategies put in place by bee farmers are limited and policies need to address this situation so as to maintain the quality of OKU honey

Of Practices and (Micro)politics: Challenges of Organic Waste Segregation in Dschang, Cameroon

Waste generation in Sub-Saharan Africa is increasing rapidly. While biodegradable waste remains predominant, it is rarely treated separately by municipal solid waste management systems, thus foregoing the possibility to reduce the volume going to landfills or dumpsites. This paper discusses the unique case of the small city of Dschang, Cameroon, where the municipality operates two central composting plants that treat about 20% of the city’s household and restaurant waste. Using Urban Political Ecology and Social Practice Theory, this article studies waste flows, waste practices, material arrangements, power relations, social norms, institutional dynamics, and policies to identify opportunities and obstacles for organic waste sorting at the level of households and restaurants. Our analysis draws upon qualitative and quantitative data and points to the importance of the availability of multiple waste bins and monetary compensation for organic waste sorting. These factors have also facilitated the development of an informal waste sector, which might use up to 20% of the city’s waste as animal feed and for home/farm composting. However, complex relations between multiple actors and the national policy framework complicate the emergence of organic waste segregation at source as a common practice. In this way, the study shows that solid waste management is also a matter of power and (micro)politics.</p