Assessing the impacts of land use and climate interactions on beekeeping livelihoods in the Taita Hills, Kenya

ABSTRACT

Beekeeping is commonly adopted as an additional livelihood activity that can help smallholder farmers diversify and enhance their livelihoods. However, it is unclear whether it is resilient to environmental shocks and stresses. This article investigates beekeepers’ experiences and perceptions about challenges to beekeeping in the Taita Hills Mountains, Kenya. Key findings demonstrated that beekeeping has the capacity to substantially increase household income, but there are several challenges which affect beekeeping’s sustainability considering predictions around climate and land use change. Bee population decline due to pesticide use was seen as a major challenge across the altitudinal range. In the highland areas deforestation, land use conflicts and cold weather were key issues; whereas in the lowlands water availability and the associated impacts on floral availability were the primary concerns of beekeepers.

KEYWORDS:

• Environment (built and natural) – Agriculture, Climate change, Food security
• Labour and livelihoods – Poverty reduction
• sub-Saharan Africa

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Economic and Social Research Council: [Grant Number ES/J500215/1].

Notes on contributors

Rebecca Jo Stormes Newman

Rebecca Jo Stormes Newman is a PhD student at the University of York, funded by the Economic Research and Social Council under the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership. She is currently researching alternative scenario pathways for sustainable livelihoods in the Zanzibar Archipelago. She has a MSc in Biodiversity and Conservation from the University of Leeds and a MSc in Environmental Economics and Environmental Management from the University of York. Rebecca is also a qualified teacher of science.

Rob Marchant

Rob Marchant is a Lecturer at the University of York. His research and teaching interests focus on vegetation dynamics and ecosystem change. In particular, he uses palaeoecology, vegetation modelling, archaeological, biogeographical and ecological data to determine the role of past events in shaping the present-day composition and distribution of tropical vegetation.

Charis Enns

Charis Enns is a Lecturer in International Development in the Department of Geography at the University of Sheffield, and an Affiliated Researcher at the East African Institute at Aga Khan University. Her current research focuses on resource corridors – networks of roads, railways, pipelines, and ports built to transport commodities from sites of production to global markets.

Claudia Capitani

Claudia Capitani started as a biologist, and has a multidisciplinary background including land use modelling, policy impact assessment and human community development. Her current research is in integrating the conservation of natural capital with socio-economic development in developing countries, particularly in the context of climate change effects and mitigation policies. She is based at the EU Joint Research Commission exploring future scenarios for adapting to climate change.