Beekeepers’ perception of the suitability of climate-smart compliant bee-hive technologies in honey production: The case of Nyandarua and Kajiado counties

Abstract

With increased climate-related challenges, beekeeping practices need to adopt climate-smart technologies to ensure high colonization rates and security against human and animal destruction. This study assessed beekeepers’ perception of the suitability of bee hive technologies for honey production. The study tested the hypothesis that improved bee hive technologies do not increase honey production. A multinomial Logit (MNL) regression model was used to analyze data from 428 randomly selected beekeepers in 2 sub-counties each of Kajiado and Nyandarua Counties where the Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP) is being implemented. Most beekeepers preferred the Kenya Top Bar hives (41%) and the Langstroth (36%). Based on the significant MNL at P < 0.01, this study concluded that honey productivity is influenced by the preference of the bee hive types. There is a need for enhanced training in beekeeping on climate-smart practices to increase the adoption of improved hive technologies and honey production.