A Sweet Solution to Climate Change: How Beekeeping is Helping Rwandan Farmers Thrive

In the steep, rust-colored hills of Ngororero district in northwestern Rwanda, a gentle hum surrounds Antoine Nsanzumuhire as he lifts a honeycomb from one of his 200 beehives. Bees swirl in the air while sunlight gleams off the golden honey—a sight that just a few years ago seemed out of reach.

Back then, Nsanzumuhire managed only 20 hives. Landslides and erratic weather patterns, symptoms of the growing climate crisis, battered his modest beekeeping operation. But that changed when he joined a local cooperative supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Rwanda Environment Management Authority. Through the project, Nsanzumuhire learned to use modern hives and plant trees, which now shelter and support his bees.

“The money I’m earning now allows me to plan for two main goals,” he says. “The first is to build a good house, and the second is to set up my own honey business.”

Nsanzumuhire is one of hundreds of Rwandan farmers whose livelihoods have been transformed through the UNEP-backed initiative, which is funded by the Global Environment Facility. The project focuses on restoring degraded forests and wetlands across Rwanda while equipping communities with sustainable, climate-resilient livelihoods like beekeeping.

Fighting Climate Change with Forests and Bees

In a country where most people depend on agriculture, climate change has become a major threat. Increasingly erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, flash floods, and soil erosion have severely impacted crop production, driving many rural families into economic distress.

But beekeeping presents a unique alternative. Unlike traditional crops, it’s less dependent on consistent rainfall. However, bees still require a healthy ecosystem to thrive—forests for foraging, diverse plant life, and safe, stable conditions. That’s why the UNEP-supported project promotes ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA): a strategy that restores degraded lands, encourages tree planting, and reduces the risks of climate-induced disasters.

“Ecosystem-based adaptation is a cost-effective solution to the climate crisis,” says Mirey Atallah, Head of UNEP’s Adaptation and Resilience Branch. “It cools the land, restores biodiversity, reduces floods, and puts money in people’s pockets.”

So far, the project has helped restore over 700 hectares of degraded ecosystems in Rwanda, including forests, wetlands, savannahs, and riverbanks. These newly revitalized areas not only provide bees with reliable foraging grounds but also act as carbon sinks, capturing CO₂ and supporting global climate goals.

A Buzzing Community in Kirehe

The project’s impact extends far beyond Ngororero. In the eastern district of Kirehe, beekeeper Marine Babonampoze walks through the now-protected Ibanda-Makera forest in her beekeeping suit, surrounded by the sounds of birdsong and buzzing insects. Like Nsanzumuhire, she joined a cooperative formed through the UNEP-supported initiative.

“Cooperative members work together and care for one another,” she says. “Everything becomes better when we unite.”

Community and cooperation have proven essential. These beekeeping groups pool resources, share skills, and support each other through challenging times—while also generating strong economic returns.

Beekeeping and Gender Inclusion

Traditionally, beekeeping in Rwanda was seen as a male-dominated activity. But the project has shifted that perception.

“In the beginning, we were only men,” says Jean Baptiste Ngirinshuti, a cooperative representative in Kirehe. “Women who joined early and saw their livelihoods improve encouraged others to follow. Now, you see more women than men involved.”

This shift has broadened access to income-generating activities for women in rural areas, empowering them with new skills and economic independence.

In Ngororero, honey production has soared—jumping nearly tenfold among cooperative members from just 27 kilograms to 264 kilograms per season. With modern beehives, reforested land, and collective support, what once seemed like a supplementary activity has grown into a cornerstone of community resilience.

Honey and Hope

For Goretti Bahirumwe, a mother of six, beekeeping became a lifeline. When her husband fell ill, she was forced to sell her cows and pigs to pay for his treatment. After he passed away, she was left to support her children alone.

“When the forest was being cut down, our bees had nowhere to forage, and there was no yield,” she says. “But now, with the forest protected, our bees have both a good yield and security.”

Her earnings from honey production have allowed her to rebuild—buying new livestock and stabilizing her family’s finances. Bahirumwe’s story reflects the broader goal of the project: to help families not only survive climate-related shocks but also thrive in the face of them.

A Model for Climate Resilience

The success of Rwanda’s ecosystem-based adaptation approach shows how nature-based solutions can be both practical and powerful in the fight against climate change. Rather than relying solely on costly infrastructure or temporary fixes, communities are turning to the environment itself—restoring forests, protecting wetlands, and strengthening local livelihoods.

This integrated approach addresses multiple challenges at once: it slows environmental degradation, reduces disaster risk, increases biodiversity, and supports local economies. For farmers like Nsanzumuhire and Bahirumwe, it has also restored hope.

As Rwanda faces an uncertain climate future, these beekeeping cooperatives offer more than just economic opportunity—they offer a model of resilience rooted in unity, sustainability, and respect for nature.

In the hills of Ngororero and the forests of Kirehe, the future is beginning to hum—with the sound of bees and the promise of change.