By Fridah Mbuvi, June 29, 2026
Hundreds of smallholder farmers across the Ukambani region are increasingly abandoning traditional crop and livestock farming in favour of climate-smart beekeeping as they seek sustainable ways to cope with the growing effects of climate change.
Farmers in Machakos, Kitui and Makueni counties say recurrent droughts, erratic rainfall and repeated crop failures have made conventional farming increasingly unreliable, forcing many households to diversify into apiculture as a more resilient source of income.
Unlike staple crops such as maize and beans, beekeeping requires minimal rainfall and can thrive even during prolonged dry seasons. Bees forage naturally for nectar and pollen, reducing the need for expensive feed or intensive labour, while farmers only need to ensure that colonies have access to clean water and suitable habitats.
Agricultural experts say the shift reflects a growing adoption of climate-smart farming practices that enable rural communities to adapt to changing weather patterns while maintaining household incomes.
Many farmers report that a single productive beehive can generate higher annual returns than an acre of dryland maize. The income earned from honey sales has become an important financial cushion, allowing families to purchase food and meet household expenses during seasons when crops fail due to drought.
Beyond the economic benefits, beekeeping is also contributing to environmental conservation. Healthy bee populations enhance pollination of crops, fruit trees and indigenous vegetation, improving agricultural productivity while supporting biodiversity and ecosystem regeneration across the semi-arid region.
To strengthen the resilience of apiaries against rising temperatures and increasingly harsh weather conditions, farmers are adopting a range of climate adaptation measures through training programmes supported by county governments and development partners.
One of the key interventions involves establishing dedicated water points near apiaries to ensure bees have a reliable source of water during prolonged dry spells. Experts say this simple measure can significantly reduce colony losses caused by extreme heat and dehydration.
Farmers are also replacing traditional log hives with modern hive boxes that provide better insulation against extreme temperature fluctuations, creating a more stable environment for bee colonies and improving honey production.
In addition, apiary management is increasingly being linked to local weather and climate information, enabling farmers to plan hive inspections, harvesting and colony management based on changing weather conditions rather than fixed seasonal calendars.
Conservation practices are also playing a central role in the transition. Farmers are being encouraged to preserve indigenous drought-resistant trees that provide reliable forage for bees throughout the year while reducing the use of synthetic pesticides that threaten pollinator populations.
The transformation has received support from both county governments and international development organisations working to strengthen climate resilience in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands.
In Makueni County, the county government is collaborating with the World Food Programme (WFP) to equip Farmers’ Service Centres with beekeeping kits and solar-powered water pumps to support sustainable honey production and improve access to water for apiaries.
Meanwhile, in Kitui County, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is implementing Farmer Field Schools that train beekeepers in modern hive management, pest and disease control, quality honey harvesting and post-harvest handling to improve productivity and increase access to premium markets.
Agricultural officers believe the growing interest in beekeeping demonstrates how climate-smart agriculture can help communities build resilience against increasingly unpredictable weather while creating new economic opportunities.
As climate change continues to reshape farming across Kenya’s drylands, many farmers in the Ukambani region are viewing beekeeping not merely as an alternative enterprise but as a long-term strategy for securing livelihoods, improving food security and protecting the environment.
