Borno Sate of Nigeria, Is One of the Leading Areas of Honey Production in West Africa

The Impacts of Climate change on Apiculture in the sub-Saharan African nations: Case study of Borno state of Nigeria.

Borno sate in Nigeria, is one of the leading areas of honey production in West Africa, It is located in the north eastern part of Nigeria sharing borders with the republics of Cameroon, Chad and Niger. They use crude or local techniques in producing the honeys and due to the peculiar semi arid (Sahel) nature of vegetation of this area made the honeys of this area have special qualities and tastes and use to be very effective in the field of medicines. But as a result of the general underdevelopment of the sub Saharan African region characterized with very high level of illiteracy as well as poverty made almost the entire communities of this state to be depending on fire wood for generating energy for their domestic and commercial activities. The most common plant used for the generation of this energy used to be the Kasese plant (acacia semia), but however since the late 1980s this plant began to disappear in this area as a result of climate change and the rapidly increasing population of this area depending on this type of fire wood ,hence this development is now leading to massive deforestation of the non kasese plants which normally provided shelters for the bees which helps provide job opportunities for the inhabitants of this area through Apiculture or bee farming .

In view of the above there is now a significant decline in honey production in this part of the world since the late 19990s, massive migration of bees from this area to the neighboring Mubi part of Adamawa state of Nigeria and even the Adamawa/Bamenda areas of Northwestern Region of Cameroon.

Finally considering the above situation Apiculture or bee farming is now facing the under listed Challenges/ problems:

1. Disappearances or shrinking of Apiculture or bee farming in the Sub-Saharan African Countries.

2. Lost of traditional knowledge associated to bee farming.

3. Lost of great knowledge in the field of traditional medicine

4. Increasing poverty level or drop in per capita income among the communities of the Sub-Saharan African Countries.

5. Distructuin of the natural Biodiversity/Food chain of this region. .