agriculture 23 March 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Adjumani Beekeeper Transforms Apiary into Eco-Friendly Business
Zake Eberu from Leaguru Village in Adjumani has turned beekeeping into a sustainable livelihood, producing various honey products while protecting local forests. His efforts support environmental conservation amid deforestation challenges in the refugee-hosting area. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/adjumani-farmer-turns-apiculture-into-green-enterprise-5399894
In Leaguru Village, Pakele Sub-county, Adjumani District, Zake Eberu has built a thriving beekeeping venture. His story began in 2005 during an adult literacy program that included training in apiculture, honey processing, and value addition, supported by Community Empowerment for Rural Development (CEFORD).
Today, Eberu crafts raw honey, processed honey, propolis tincture, and comb honey known locally as ‘cenom.’ He plans to expand into bee venom production with better equipment. As a lead farmer with Friends of Zoka, he promotes conservation by maintaining a mini forest around his home, which attracts bees and deters tree cutting.
‘The bees protect the trees themselves,’ Eberu notes, highlighting how apiary farming combats deforestation. He sells a litre of processed honey for Shs24,000, with strong local and regional demand boosting his household—he now affords a home, food, and his children’s school fees.
Friends of Zoka, partnering with RICE-WN and SPACE, runs a project to enhance environmental accountability in West Nile districts like Adjumani. Despite 99kha of natural forest in 2020, the area lost 3.3kha in 2024 due to refugee-related activities like charcoal burning, per Global Forest Watch and local leaders.
Local officials, including Pakele parish chief Moses Apiliga, pledge ongoing sensitization to curb degradation.
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)