Honey production in Laikipia is gaining traction as several companies invest in packaging the product to increase the price. Small Scale Farmers company is investing in the local community of Yakuu in Mukogodo forest to increase their earnings from honey farming.

The community is famous for its organic honey and will benefit immensely as the partnership will enable them to engage in value addition once they harvest their product. To sustain their cultural practice and celebrate heritage, they have named the honey brand ‘Sica’ which is a word in their Yakunte Language.

A community-based organization, Indigenous Young Mums in the Yakuu community has been at the forefront in engaging in apicultural activities. Mukogodo forest has high potential due to the favorable weather ensuring there is an abundance of bee flora. The partnership in the Indigenous Young Mums and Small Scale Farmers will increase the economic benefit to the community by encouraging modern bee rearing methods.

The Small Scale Farmers has introduced a mobile-based app in this community known as Till App.

The app has been an important business tool as we use it to manage data and records information on multiple transactions with farmers. It has been crucial in bee rearing in this community as we are able to do
‘live’ testing and development. said Director, Small Scale Farmers, Antony Kigondu.

The Small-Scale Farmers company will be able to buy honey regularly from the community and using the app keep records of a number of beehives belonging to each of the farmers and their background. The app also will play a major role in helping them keep track of the progress of bee rearing.

The Yakuu community has a number of small-scale farmers who depend on their honey as a way of making a living. There is always a market day every fortnight based in Doldol Town which gives them the opportunity to meet other buyers.

To avoid destroying the micronutrients that are easily destroyed when honey is melted, the Small-scale Farmers do not use any heat as they package it. The company only sieve the honey by passing it through three different stages of sieving.

They later package the honey into bottles and sell it on behalf of the Yakuu Community. The company mostly ensures that it employs workers from this community especially during harvesting the honey to preserve their
traditions.

We have sent our samples to the different authorities for certification. The National Bee Institute recommended our honey since it has the lowest water and percentage and it’s 100 percent
organic. Director Antony Kigondu confirmed.