Botanical sources and sugar concentration of the nectar collected by two stingless bee species in a tropical African rain forest

Nectar foraging by species of two stingless bees was studied in an African tropical rain forest. Both species Hypotrigona gribodoi (2–3 mm) and Meliponula ferruginea (6 mm) collected nectar with a wide range of sugar concentration (H. gribodoi: 14.2–67.4%; M. ferruginea: 9.1–63.4%). H. gribodoi collected nectar of higher sugar concentration than M. ferruginea. Factors that influenced sugar concentration of collected nectar included botanic origin of the nectar, bee species, bee colonies, month of year, time of day and the local environment. Sugar concentration increased gradually from 0700 h to a peak at 1300 h and declined thereafter. H. gribodoi collected nectar from more diverse plant species than M. ferruginea. Sugar concentration for both bee species was higher during the dry season than the rainy season. Although the above factors may explain part of the variation in the sugar concentration of nectar, additional explanations lie in the behavioural differences among the bee species

Aquaculture production and its contribution to development in the Rwenzori region Uganda

The purpose of this study was to estimate aquaculture production and its contribution to development in the Rwenzori region. A survey questionnaire administered to 116 active fish famers found that most were males, aged 48-57 years, with primary education. Men dominated fish pond ownership, management, marketing and spending of the proceeds. The average yield was estimated to be 14 t ha-1 from small ponds (mean = 524 m2) and 30t ha-1 from large ones (mean = 6,188 m²) in Kasese and Kamwenge districts respectively. Most farmers used yam leaves and avocado fruits as feed, preferred Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) for farming, sourced fish seed from local producers, belonged to a farmer association and used their own capital. Major challenges were the cost of feed and fish fingerlings, while most farmers used aquaculture income to pay school fees.Keywords: Fish farming, Livelihoods, Nile tilapia, Yiel

A healthy diet for a growing population: a case study of Arua, Uganda

It is uncertain whether Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2), a healthy diet for all, can be achieved in East Africa given its strong population growth, low agricultural yields, and the high perishability of nutrient-dense foods. We examine the consequences of a locally produced healthy diet on land use in a case study of the Arua district in Uganda. This type of analysis can alert policy makers to looming nutrition gaps and support the selection of alternative solution strategies. Using a linear programming (LP) model and three population growth projections, we estimate the minimum agricultural area needed in 2040 to produce a healthy diet that follows EAT-Lancet dietary diversity guidelines and supplies the average requirements of calories, proteins, Iron, and vitamin A. We also compare in scenarios to what extent i) production intensification, ii) food loss reduction, iii) by-product consumption, and iv) vitamin supplementation could reduce the required agricultural area. Results show that the necessary area to produce a healthy diet in 2040 is 160% larger than Arua’s current crop area and would greatly exceed the district’s total area. We also show that none of the changes proposed in our scenarios allows a sufficient increase in food production, suggesting that a mix of even more drastic changes across sectors will be necessary. The results underline the challenge for rural areas in East Africa like Arua to provide a healthy diet to its fast growing population, requiring integrated food system changes and policy coordination to orchestrate the increased availability of diverse and nutritious foods

Stingless bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Meliponini) from Gabon

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