They are dotted with riverine vegetation, palm and hardwood trees. They are speckled with salt flats, savanna and mangrove creeks. At the first glance, the forests and the woodlands of the Gambia, tinged in different shades of green, look menacing and breathtaking in equal measure.

Adorned with an array of prominent baobabs, striking silk-cotton trees and jades of mangrove forests found both far inland and along the humid banks of the river Gambia, the country holds 480 000 hectares of forests with unseen promise.

These forests and woodlands have, however, seen swift depletion due to a rapidly increasing population as well as unsustainable resource extraction and uncontrolled forest fires. The growing rural population in this West African nation has struggled with poverty and with sustainably managing these dryland forests while relying on them for their livelihoods and food security.

Through a flagship programme spearheaded by FAO and the Gambia’s Department of Forestry, the “Community-based Sustainable Dryland Forest Management” project has outfitted groups of community beekeepers, known locally as Honey Enterprise Groups, with beekeeping equipment such as beehives, uniforms, boots, gloves, uniforms and hive tools. With the support of FAO through this Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded project, the Honey Enterprise Groups are constructing beehives in the forest to harvest honey for their livelihoods.