Beehive project keeps ‘smart’ elephants away from Taita Taveta farms

For over 17 years, Joseph Muki has had his fair share of elephant invasions of his two-acre farm in Kajire village, Taita Taveta County.

Mr Muki has tried all means to protect his crops from the marauding beasts that escape from neighbouring Tsavo National Park to raid farms, especially at night.

But the elephants appear to have learnt his tricks. They no longer fear the sirens nor the light-emitting diode (LED) flashlights or the beating of drums used to scare them sway.

"The elephants are now hardened. They destroy our live fences and feed on everything, leaving us empty-handed," he said. 

The 60-year-old farmer said under a partnership with the Save the Elephant Foundation, the European Union, the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) and the county government, he is trying alternative means to keep the jumbos away.

In 2019, Mr Muki erected 12 beehives around his farm to find a permanent solution to elephant intrusions.

The hives are suspended on trees and connected through wires around the farm, and the buzzing bees scare away the elephants.

"Elephants fear bees. They run away if they hear them," he said.

Mr Muki said he harvests more maize, cowpeas and green grams than before.

The Tsavo ecosystem is home to about 15,000 elephants, according to a 2021 census report. The herbivores often stray out of the park into smallholder farms and human settlements in search of water and pasture.

An increase in human-wildlife conflict has been reported in most parts of the county, leading to food insecurity when crops are destroyed by elephants. The jumbos also endanger the lives of residents. 

This conflict has also prompted some residents to shift to other types of farming, including poultry and growing chilli and sunflower. 

Integrated farming methods seek to make residents resilient against the challenges that have made them food-insecure. 

Ms Charity Wawuda and her family keep poultry.

"I keep over 100 local poultry that I sell to eateries in Voi. This project has changed my life," she said.
With support from NDMA, Ms Wawuda and her neighbours also received a hatching machine to support their poultry farming.

"We do this project individually but the hatchery benefits the whole village," she said.

She said she no longer worries about invasions of wildlife because her chickens are not affected by the raids.

Human-elephant conflicts are prevalent in Sagalla, Kasigau, Mlilo, Kishushe, Mbulia, Mbololo and parts of Mwatate sub-county due to their proximity to Tsavo National Park. 

Local leaders and residents blame the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), saying the agency doesn’t do enough to prevent animals from leaving the park.

The government has delayed compensation for the damage caused by the wildlife.

Researchers at the Save the Elephant Foundation started the initiative to save farmers from losses caused by wildlife.  

Residents need to coexist with wildlife, said Victor Ndobi, a food security and livelihood programme officer at the foundation.

Mr Ndobi said the beehive fence project is being implemented in the Sagalla villages of Mwambiti, Mwakoma and Kajire.

"The farmers get protection from the invasions and at the same time they get honey that they can sell to get added income," he said.

More than 50 farmers have benefitted from the project that kicked off in 2009 through the founder, Dr Lucy King. The foundation has set up a research centre in Sagalla where they engage farmers and other partners that have come together to help the local community achieve food security. 

Under the partnership, farmers received 12 beehives for every acre of their farms and sunflower seeds that also attract pollinators to their crops.

"By this, we can tackle the issue of human-wildlife conflict as well as the climate change problem. Sunflowers are drought-tolerant, they are not eaten by elephants and they attract bees for pollination and the hives that keep off the elephants," Mr Ndobi said. 

He said the beneficiaries no longer suffer from food shortages.

"In terms of nutrition, we have seen an improvement because the yields have improved. We aim to make the whole community resilient to human-wildlife conflict and drought," he said. 

NDMA county coordinator Gabriel Mbogho said many farmers in the region had lost their crops to elephants, and that many incidents of human-wildlife conflict continue to be reported. 

"For decades, the patterns of the elephant raids have increased. The raiding now happens more often, forcing residents to shift from their normal agricultural practices. We encourage them to practise alternative farming," he said. 

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