Abstract:
Beekeeping is a viable income-generating project that has been successfully adopted in
various parts of the world including Kenya. Beekeeping projects has the potential to
improve the livelihoods of households and through providing income generation
opportunities, enhancing food security through pollination, and promoting
environmental conservation. Despites its benefit, most bee keeping projects being
implemented Baringo County do not meet objectives of stakeholders due to variations
in project specifications, cost and time overruns. The main objective was to examine
the moderating effect of institutional policy on the relationship between community
participation and implementation of bee keeping projects in Baringo County. The
specific objectives of the study were to assess the effect of information materials
provision, consultation, collaboration, empowerment and moderating effect of
institutional policy on the relationship between community participation and
implementation of bee keeping projects in Baringo County, Kenya. The study was
anchored on these theories; project implementation theory, stakeholder theory and
institutional theory. The study was conducted in Baringo County. The study was
anchored on philosophical paradigm. The study was guided by concurrent triangulation
research design. The target population consisted of 1238 bee farmer groups
representatives and organisations supporting bee farming. A sample size of 302 bee
farmer group representatives was calculated using Yarmane formula. The respondents
were selected using proportionate stratified simple random sampling methods. The key
informants were selected through purposive sampling. Data was collected using of
questionnaire and interview guide. Qualitative data from interview was analysed
through thematic content analysis. Quantitative from questionnaire was analysed using
descriptive and inferential statistics. On findings, it was found out that information
materials provision had statistically positive effect on the implementation of bee
keeping projects (β=0.163, t=2.180, p=0.030). Secondly, participatory consultation
had significant positive effect on implementation of bee keeping projects (β=0.248,
t=2.130, p=0.034). Thirdly, there existed significant positive effect between
collaboration and implementation of bee keeping projects (β=0.248, t=2.278,
p=0.024). Fourthly, results showed that (β=0.147, t=2.244, p=0.026) there existed
significant positive effect of empowerment activities and implementation of bee
keeping projects. Fifthly, institutional policy had significant moderating effect (p<0.05)
on the relationship between community participation and implementation of bee
keeping projects based on the correlation coefficient values. The findings from key
informants confirmed that institutional policy moderated the relationship between
community participation strategies and implementation of bee keeping projects. The
study concludes that for effective implementation of bee keeping projects, capacity
building of all farmers and groups is key towards their effective participation. The study
recommends that effective implementation of bee keeping projects requires that farmers
to be provided with up-to-date information on modern practices, farmers need to be
regular consulted on matters of bee farming by institutions involved in bee keeping
value chain. It is also recommended that technical support and regular training should
be provided to bee farmers to enable them adopt modern and cost-effective methods of
bee farming and agencies involved in promotion of bee keeping should provide bee
farming tools (protective clothing, smokers, free hives) to bee farmers as a way of
increasing bee keeping projects across the county.