Mr. Joseph Wambua Kilonzo is an apiculture and insect research specialist with wide-ranging experience in Africa and beyond. He has contributed to major initiatives such as the “Building Equitable Climate-Resilient African Bean & Insect

Sectors (BRAINS)” across 15 sub-Saharan countries and the ESSA project in Kenya and Ethiopia. His work includes developing apiculture technologies in Kenya’s ASALs, establishing honeybee apiaries in avocado farms for pollination, and training over 1,000 beekeepers in Mauritius, Madagascar, Zanzibar, Seychelles,

and Comoros. He has also supported honey marketplace development in these regions. Mr. Wambua has been actively involved in bee health surveillance and research on diseases and pests in several African countries, including studies on Varroa mite behavior and baseline surveys in collaboration with icipe and PennState University. Additionally, he has led community training in modern beekeeping in Kenya, provided specialized training in queen rearing and royal jelly

production in Yemen, and supported commercial insect and nature-based enterprises in arid regions of Northern Kenya.