The sweet spot of modern and traditional beekeeping

The Ukulima Bora, Mazingira Bora Initiative, led by the Chyullu Development Foundation, supports 400 beekeepers in Makueni County, Kenya. The project aims to transition farmers toward climate-resilient and regenerative agriculture by combining traditional log hives with modern technologies to increase productivity and reduce deforestation. Key activities include capacity building, advocating for wildlife park fencing to reduce human-wildlife conflict, and creating job opportunities for tertiary-educated youth to return to their communities. The initiative also works to dismantle exploitative power dynamics by connecting farmers to agricultural cooperatives to bypass middlemen and by encouraging household-level participation to improve women's agency in beekeeping.

• The Ukulima Bora, Mazingira Bora Initiative supports 400 beekeepers in Makueni County, Kenya, focusing on capacity building in regenerative and climate-resilient agriculture and the transition from conventional to holistic farming.
• The initiative employs a hybrid approach to apiculture, integrating traditional log hives—which are low-cost and resilient to semi-arid climates—with modern techniques to increase productivity and prevent the felling of live trees for hive construction.
• To address human-wildlife conflict near two National Parks, the initiative advocated for the installation of fencing to prevent animals from destroying crops and to stop community members from engaging in unsustainable poaching and deforestation within the parks.
• The project addresses rural youth migration by creating professional opportunities for tertiary-educated youth to return to their villages and apply their knowledge to traditional beekeeping practices.
• The initiative seeks to shift the power balance between beekeepers and exploitative intermediaries, who buy honey at low prices and sell it at high margins, by connecting farmers with agricultural cooperatives to ensure fairer pricing.
• Gender imbalances in the region often prevent women from applying beekeeping training because men hold primary decision-making power; the initiative addresses this by encouraging entire households to participate in training.

APA

Global Resilience Partnership (n.d.). The sweet spot of modern and traditional beekeeping. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/chyullu-development-foundation.pdf

Chicago

Global Resilience Partnership. The sweet spot of modern and traditional beekeeping. n.d. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/chyullu-development-foundation.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Resilience Partnership |title=The sweet spot of modern and traditional beekeeping |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/chyullu-development-foundation.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalresiliencepartnershipndsweet, author = {{Global Resilience Partnership}}, title = {{The sweet spot of modern and traditional beekeeping}}, institution = {Global Resilience Partnership}, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/chyullu-development-foundation.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }