Future of Food: Journal on Food

Pollination of Acacia woodlands and honey production by honey bees in Kitui, Kenya

Mary Wanjiru Warui
Department of Land Resource Management and Agricultural Technology, University of Nairobi, Kenya
Mary Gikungu
National Museums of Kenya
Aske Skovmand Bosselmann
Department of Food & Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Lise Hansted
Danish Beekeepers Association, Denmark

Acacia woodlands dominate arid and semi-arid areas across the world and are an important source of livelihood supporting activities. This is also the case in Kenya, where the Acacia woodlands are under pressure, partly due to the extractive activities that generate household income, such as collection of fuelwood, building poles, charcoal burning and livestock fodder. There is an apparent dilemma between the extractive and non-extractive use of the Acacia woodlands, and a need to develop income generating activities that also conserve and support the natural basis. Honey production is a widespread activity in Kenyan Acacia woodland areas, and thus a potential candidate for the task, but information on pollination of wild plants in the tropics in relation to livelihood sustenance and natural resource conservation is scarce. Therefore, this study investigates to what extent honey bees (Apis mellifera) visit and pollinate Acacia brevispica in Kitui County, Kenya. The study also assesses the occurrence of Acacia pollen types in honeys produced within the study area. The results show that honey bees were the most numerous flower visitor and pollinator of A. brevispica, while Acacia pollen was the predominant pollen type in the sampled honeys. This shows that honey bees provide pollination services to A. brevispica for the return of pollen and nectar for the production of honey, which is a source of income for local households. Understanding the link between pollination of A. brevispica and honey production can help to facilitate conservation efforts for the benefit of the woodlands and its inherent biodiversity as well as for local livelihoods.

Keywords : Honey bee ,Honey production ,Pollination ,Acacia ,Livelihoods ,Conservation .

Myanmar High School Students’ Perceptions of College and International Readiness in Western Society

Mark Speckien
Louisiana Tech University
Mark Speckien
Louisiana Tech University
International students are more likely to experience mental health issues and increased stress. Mental health is often surrounded by negative societal stigmas that act as barriers to seeking support and tend to lead to greater mental health concerns. International students tend to seek socioemotional support from other international student peers rather than seeking out counseling services. However, this study shows that LGBTQIA+ international students were less likely to seek socioemotional support from other international student peers due to fear of their sexual orientation being discovered and their families finding out about their identity. This study examines how LGBTQIA+ international students talk about their experiences on and off campus in relations to their socioemotional well-being. Specifically, this study sought to better understand the complexities of LGBTQIA+ students’ identities, and the challenges they faced in terms of their socioemotional well-being. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Keywords : international students, socioemotional well-being, mental health, identity development, intersectionality, LGBTQIA