Nakuru: Battered by erratic weather patterns coupled with decreasing and delayed rainfall, hundreds of farmers in Kiptororo ward in Kuresoi North Sub-County in Nakuru County are switching to beekeeping as an alternative source of livelihood that is less vulnerable to climate change.
According to Kenya News Agency, Chief Officer for Cooperatives and Entrepreneurship Richard Kurgat stated that the County Government had crafted public-private partnerships to train beekeepers in the devolved unit on modern honey production methods, value addition, and proper agronomical practices. These initiatives are helping farmers produce honey products that meet the accepted chemical residue level limits.
Kurgat made these remarks during the inaugural Annual General Meeting of the Ndoinet Bee Keepers Farmers’ Cooperative Society held in Nakuru, emphasizing the role of bee farming in promoting biodiversity and food security. He urged the society’s members to maintain a healthy ecosystem that supports sustainable agriculture.
Ndoinet Bee Keepers Farmers’ Cooperative Society is an umbrella organization that unites over 200 beekeepers from Chematich, Kapkembu, Kiptororo, and Tirigoi locations. These members are actively engaged in apiculture and value addition for commercial purposes. The Chief Officer encouraged beekeepers to utilize county resources and programs aimed at strengthening cooperatives and micro and small enterprises.
The Nakuru County Enterprise Fund is providing loans ranging from Sh 50,000 to Sh 200,000 at an interest rate of 8 percent per year, while the Cooperative Revolving Fund offers loans from Sh 200,000 to Sh 5 million at a 6 percent interest rate per annum. These funds are designed to help farmers, cooperative members, and entrepreneurs access capital and grow their businesses into commercially viable entities.
Kurgat also highlighted the county government’s efforts to encourage bee farmers to join cooperatives, which helps eliminate unscrupulous brokers and unlock the unexploited potential of bee products, including honey, wax, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, and bee venom.
In collaboration with the National Beekeeping Institute, Rhino Ark Charitable Trust recently conducted a week-long training session for members of the Ndoinet Bee Keepers Farmers’ Cooperative Society. This training aimed to enhance the beekeeping knowledge of farmers living adjacent to the Mau Forest Complex and improve their practices.
Members of the Ndoinet Beekeepers are also part of the Ndoinet Community Forest Association, engaging in efforts to conserve the Ndoinet Forest. Supported by the Darwin Initiative and Rhino Ark, their initiatives include tree planting, with a nursery that grows indigenous and some exotic trees for commercial purposes.
The Mau Forest has faced threats from illegal activities and destruction due to a lack of alternative income sources. Bernard Kibet, a field officer for Rhino Ark, emphasized the importance of education and training in fostering a generation of beekeepers committed to environmental conservation. Kibet noted that the Ndoinet nursery initiative aims to increase its 20,000 seedlings to reach a capacity of almost 100,000, helping the community manage the nursery independently.
Kibet added that community members have been recruited into a Surveillance Unit working with the Kenya Forest Service to conserve the Mau ecosystem. He identified drought, declining bee populations, deforestation, and poor farming practices as major challenges affecting honey production in the county. Additionally, new pests, diseases, and indiscriminate pesticide use have impacted bee colonies, complicating beekeeping for farmers.
A report by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) reveals that the country produces about 11,000 metric tonnes of honey and 1 to 3 tonnes of beeswax annually. This represents only 20 percent of Kenya’s potential, with low production attributed to a lack of appropriate technologies, poor beekeeping practices, and inadequate policy guidelines and marketing skills.
A survey by the Kenya National Farmers Information Service indicates that approximately 80 percent of Kenya’s honey originates from arid and semi-arid lands, with the majority produced using log hives, which yield insufficient quantities to significantly boost incomes.