Climate change reduces honey production in North Kivu ^{CEFR B2}

Beekeeping in North Kivu, around Butembo, faces multiple pressures from climate change and human activity. In Ndando, about 10 kilometres south of Butembo, long-time beekeeper Mwanzi Zephanie found most of her roughly ten hives empty; she said this was the first time in more than thirty years she had seen such a loss. Previously, honey was abundant between April and July.

The decline is visible in local markets: a litre that sold for USD 7 in the first half of 2025 now trades at USD 10–12 in the first half of 2026. This rise makes honey less affordable and hits both producers and consumers, while beekeeping — important for local food security and livelihoods — becomes harder to sustain.

Vutsapu Michaël, Board President of Academia Group, says the region is losing nectar-rich flowers and that forest nurseries are affected. He notes that training on climate change is increasingly expensive and that awareness remains insufficient. Large-scale cutting of eucalyptus for firewood and timber also removes a resource for bees.

To respond, specialists recommend action such as:

• targeted reforestation with calliandra, grevillea and eucalyptus;
• training beekeepers in modern methods and using modern hives;
• stopping deforestation and limiting slash-and-burn agriculture;
• restoring wetlands and protecting local tree species.

Armed conflict compounds the situation: insecurity and mass displacements prevent producers from accessing some honey-producing areas, and fear for safety reduces the ability to tend hives and collect honey.