Beekeeping is thought to be a crucial component of livelihood diversification in Kenya as it supplements household incomes, food and medicine.
The relatively low start-up costs, labour requirements and minimum land ownership, render beekeeping an attractive economic pathway out of poverty for the rural people, particularly women and young people.
According to a report by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), Kenya produces about 100,000 metric tons of honey annually.
This is, however, an insignificant amount at just about 20 percent of its potential. Kenya has great potential in beekeeping as 80 per cent of the land mass is classified as arid and semi-arid. These regions have an abundance of flora, such as acacia trees, and other factors capable of supporting a bee industry all year round.
The county government, along with other stakeholders has been promoting beekeeping as one contributor for the solutions of eradicating poverty in rural areas. Notable among the organizations active in beekeeping promotion is Kenya Climate-Smart Agriculture Project (KCSP).
A group of fourteen men and seven women from Kesses sub county, Uasin Gishu County, passionate for bee farming formed the Lelmolok tuita self-help group with the objective to create employment, enhance income and increase the farmers’ well-being in terms of financial security and food security.
The group is chaired by Wilfred Kipchirchir who said, “Communities must be made to understand that not all lands are suitable for crop production. They must adopt appropriate land use as most land in Uasin Gishu is naturally suitable for beekeeping”.
“So far, the group has 79 beehives which we mostly harvest after every 3 months. We harvest up to 15 litres of honey from a single hive. If the weather is good, preferably dry, one can harvest two or three times in a year. The drier the weather, the better for bees in honey production because when it is cold, they consume what they produce reducing the harvest,” he noted
“We sell pure honey and value-added products like wax which is collected after the honey has been harvested from the combs,” he added.
“The usage of honey has broadened over the years meaning that beekeeping is one of the most lucrative businesses,” notes Kipchirchir.
“Beekeeping also has immense benefits in terms of provision of pollinators which enhance crop yields, protection and care of the environment,” he said.
He added that the bees naturally feed on nectar from various plants. For a large-scale farmer, he advises that one plants a fast-growing plant one of them being sunflower as it produces nectar and pollen for bees.
The group is appealing to the government to help them get international markets so that they could increase their profits as the production of honey is mainly limited to local consumption and only surplus is offered in the market for sale.
“The KCSP has been able to provide us with harvesting gears such as overall, bee veil, gloves and gumboots and this material prevents one from bee sting,” noted Kipchichir.
He urges the government to offer more training to the people who want to learn about beekeeping, as it is one of the best ventures to earn a living.
