Case study · Buckeyes Farm · Edge of the Mau Forest, Kenya · Started October 2026
Beekeeping for a self-sustaining farm
Buckeyes Farm sits on the edge of the Mau Forest, with a timber cabin, its own spring, wild trees and a view across the valley. Its owner is building a farm that sustains itself, and beekeeping is one of the foundations. Barnview & Co built and branded the farm’s hives.
The vision
The owner of Buckeyes Farm wants a farm that looks after itself: food, water and income produced on the land, with the surrounding forest kept standing. The farm already has the pieces a good apiary needs, with clean water from its own spring, wild trees and flowering shrubs for forage, and the Mau Forest on its doorstep.
Bees fit that plan. They pollinate the farm’s fruit trees and crops, produce honey and wax for the household and for sale, and give a reason to protect the wild trees and forest edge rather than clear them.
Partners
What we did
- October 2026
Project start. Looked at forage, water and shelter across the farm to choose the apiary site, near the spring and the wild trees. - October 2026
Built the farm’s 30 hives in our workshop, painted them yellow with metal-capped roofs, and stencilled each one with the Buckeyes Farm logo. - Done
Apiary construction completed. - Now
Hive installation is under way, followed by colonisation and advice on colony care and harvesting.
What it means
Branded hives turn a farm apiary into the start of a product. Honey from Buckeyes Farm can carry the farm’s own name, while the bees pollinate its trees and crops and strengthen the case for keeping the forest edge wild.
| Measure | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hives built and branded | 30 | Built in our workshop |
| Apiary | Completed | Hive installation under way |
Full report
For details of this project, contact us at info@barnview.org.
Buckeyes Farm apiary report
Available on request from info@barnview.org