Beekeepers in Cote d’Ivoire help reduce dependence on glyphosate pesticide

While Europe wrangles over banning the use of glyphosate – the active ingredient in the Roundup weedkiller accused of damaging human health and biodiversity – farmers on the African continent remain heavily dependent on such herbicides. However, an Ivorian cocoa farmer is showing it’s possible to both drop glyphosate and promote beekeeping in the process.

Bayer’s glyphosate-based weedkiller Roundup is widely used in Africa – from cotton fields in Benin, maize in South Africa to cocoa plantations in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

Since a 2015 study by the World Health Organization found that long-term exposure to glyphosate made it a “probable carcinogen”, and other studies have pointed to a dramatic increase in bee mortality, Europe has been working to reduce glyphosate use.

But despite the alleged risks to human health and the environment, farmers in Africa are having to rely increasingly on glyphosate to compensate for labour shortages as young people leave agricultural regions for cities.

In a 2019 documentary by French public television, people were shown spraying cocoa plants in Cote d’Ivoire wearing no protection whatsoever; many were underage.

‘Like your body is burning’

Ivorian farmer Yeo Yaya farms a three-and-a-half-hectare cocoa plantation near the coastal town of Grand-Bereby in south-western Cote d’Ivoire. Faced with a shortage of manpower, he relied on glyphosate-based herbicides to help with weeding and keep his land free of pests.

But he started worrying the product was having a negative impact on his health. “Often, after you’ve been spraying, it feels like your body is burning,” he told RFI. “If I continue, won’t it end up killing me slowly but surely?” he wondered.

He also noticed glyphosate was having a negative impact on the soil. “It destroys some insects, for example snakes, snails, centipedes,” he said. “If it kills insects that help us fertilize the soil, then the land will no longer be fertile. When you treat the soil, it becomes hard; so hard you can’t do anything with it.”

Weeding by hand

In 2020, Yaya turned his back on glyphosate after meeting Cédric Konan – a member of a farming cooperative who shifted over to glyphosate-free farming after discussions with researchers from the higher education institute INPHB. Konan uses natural repellents such as fermented cocoa juice or certain plants that repel pests.

To resolve the issue of labour shortages, he encouraged local farmers to allow young beekeepers to come and settle on their land free of charge, in exchange for helping with weeding. “By putting beehives on the plots, we resolve two major problems,” says Konan.

“We manage to promote biodiversity, providing beekeepers with a livelihood through selling products from their hives. And then by cleaning up around the hives near the cocoa plants, the plants themselves get weeded.” He believes this form of weeding by hand should allow them “to solve the glyphosate problem”.

‘Not that easy’

The initiative is, however, in its infancy. Axel Kassarate, 25, has been beekeeping for four years. And while he’s happy to take part in the project, he still struggles to make a living from beekeeping. “It’s not as easy as all that,” he told RFI, “we are also trying to find good markets and ways of expanding.” Further down the line, Konan aims to develop bio-fertilisers on a much bigger scale – notably using snail shells.

In 2019, Malawi became the first country in Africa to suspend the importation of glyphosate, but later dropped the decision.

RFI

Posted by admin on Feb 24 2024. Filed under top stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry