Bees are not only vital to our food supply; they are a key part of the biological diversity that all forms of life depend on which is pollination. Pollination results in the proliferation of 87% of the world’s flowering plant species that provide around 77% of the global food supply we depend on for our survival. Three quarters of the world’s crops, worth $235 – $577 billion annually rely on pollinators, as do around 1.4 billion jobs worldwide. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are essential for the pollination of about one third of the food we eat – including fruit, vegetables, oils, seeds and nuts. The disappearance of the honey bees, better known as Colony Collapse Disorder is a major concern for all mankind as we are all directly and indirectly affected. Without bees there is no pollination, no Plants, Fruits or Vegetables; No Animals which will result in economic hardships and rising food costs.
The greatest concern for Africa is that the statistics on the bee keeping sector are not reliable or are not readily available. This lack of accurate, up-to-date and factual data is not only a big stumbling block to making data driven decision for players the bee keeping sector but it has also created a big information gap.