This study provides valuable insights about factors affecting beekeeping farm performance, investigating these factors in Fereydunshahr County, Iran. The findings revealed that economic factors demonstrating the strongest impact on beekeeping farms’ performance. Annual income of beekeepers and total number of colonies on the farm emerged as the most significant positive predictors of farm performance, highlighting the critical role of financial resources and scale economies in this sector. The negative correlation between marital status and farm performance reveals important social dynamics, suggesting that family responsibilities may constrain time investment and risk-taking behaviors necessary for optimal farm management. Our findings regarding initial colony numbers at the time of starting the business underline the importance of starting conditions for long-term success, while the significance of average cost per colony confirms that adequate investment in hive management is essential for productivity. Technical factors, particularly distance between the farm and the appropriate water source and slope of the land in the farm settlement area, demonstrate the complex interplay between environmental conditions and beekeeping practices. The predominance of middle-aged beekeepers and the prevalence of beekeeping as a secondary occupation point to concerning sustainability issues within the industry. Without targeted interventions to attract younger generations and improve economic viability, the sector may face decline, threatening both ecological services and rural livelihoods. Additionally, policy initiatives promoting beekeeping as a primary occupation through market development and value-chain enhancement could help transform it into a more attractive and sustainable livelihood option. Therefore, policies and programs adopted in the domain of beekeeping should be designed to steer the status of key influencing factors toward their optimal conditions. Such measures would enhance the ecological and environmental service functions of honeybees while simultaneously fostering sustainable development in rural areas. By prioritizing these objectives, stakeholders can ensure the optimization of beekeeping operations and their broader contributions to ecosystem resilience and rural socioeconomic stability. Finally, the political proposals and practical applications of this study are as follows:

a) The low engagement of youth in beekeeping threatens workforce sustainability, innovation adoption, and the sector’s economic and ecological contributions. To counteract this, policymakers should prioritize strategies that make beekeeping an attractive and viable career for younger generations. This can be achieved through targeted incentive programs like grants, low-interest loans, or tax exemptions for young entrants, comprehensive awareness campaigns like workshops, social media outreach, or partnerships with schools to highlight beekeeping’s ecological and economic benefits, and enhanced vocational training like technical skill development and entrepreneurship modules. Additionally, streamlining bureaucratic processes and improving market linkages can amplify perceived profitability. Proactive efforts to modernize the sector’s image and economic structure are essential to secure its long-term viability.

b) The prevalence of beekeeping as a secondary occupation reflects insufficient income and weak professional identity, fostering non-professional practices that harm the industry. Policies must reorient beekeeping as a full-time, respected profession by enforcing certification standards like mandatory training and licensing for entry, boosting profitability through activities like subsidies for high-quality equipment, guaranteed pricing mechanisms, or value-added product development, and reducing production barriers thorough activities like facilitating the access to affordable credit and cooperative-led bulk purchasing. Strengthening the sector’s economic viability and formalizing its professional identity will attract committed practitioners, curb unregulated competition, and mitigate risks like pest mismanagement.

c) The study underscored the performance benefits of scaling colony numbers to optimal levels. Policymakers should incentivize consolidation and standardization by introducing colony-based regulations like minimum/maximum thresholds tied to land capacity, offering financial incentives like preferential loans or grants for beekeeping farms meeting optimal colony targets, and promoting cooperative models to pool resources. Such measures can harness economies of scale, improve technical performance, and ensure sustainable growth without overburdening ecosystems.

d) The strong link between beekeeper income and farm performance underscores the need to prioritize economic stability. Policies should focus on expanding insurance schemes to cover climate and market risks, establishing equitable trading platforms like digital marketplaces or cooperatives to eliminate middlemen, and fostering financial collaboration like collective savings funds or microloans. By safeguarding livelihoods and reducing vulnerability, these interventions can enhance adoption of advanced techniques and long-term sector resilience.

e) The influence of technical factors including water access and land slope on performance highlights gaps in technical compliance. Policymakers should mandate enforceable standards like optimal hive spacing, proximity to residential areas and water availability, and tie compliance to incentives like subsidies conditional on meeting benchmarks. Training programs on beekeeping establishment site selection and resource management, paired with penalties for non-compliance, can align practices with technical best practices and elevate beekeeping farms’ performance.

f) Finally, a holistic policy framework integrating the above measures is critical. This includes formalizing partnerships between beekeepers, researchers, and governments to co-design solutions, launching nationwide certification systems to standardize quality, and establishing monitoring bodies to track compliance and outcomes. Such systemic reforms can harmonize economic, environmental, and social goals, ensuring the sector’s transition toward sustainability and competitiveness.

By adopting these recommendations, policymakers can address immediate challenges while laying the groundwork for a resilient, innovation-driven beekeeping industry that benefits ecosystems and rural communities.

This study employed methodologies to enhance accuracy, yet several limitations must be noted. Prolonged interviews, coupled with beekeepers’ fatigue, disinterest, and concerns about misuse of personal or professional data, may have influenced response quality. While measures such as ensuring confidentiality, clarifying questions patiently, and diversifying data collection methods were implemented, challenges persisted. The sample was restricted to officially registered beekeepers in the study area, potentially excluding unregistered ones, which could introduce selection bias. Additionally, the inaccessibility of certain terrains necessitated conducting some interviews through telephone, potentially affecting data depth. Furthermore, the dynamic nature of colony numbers during breeding periods required using end-period counts for consistency, which may oversimplify seasonal variations. Despite these constraints, the authors endeavored to deliver precise and cohesive results. Finally, in terms of future research, some areas which may be subject of further research are:

a) Develop a comprehensive model to analyze factors influencing beekeeping farm performance to optimize beekeeping practices;

b) Test variables identified in this study across diverse regions in Iran and globally to enhance the generalizability of findings;

c) Conduct targeted studies examining technical, economic, and social dimensions of beekeeping separately to inform context-specific interventions;

d) Perform meta-analyses of hypotheses on the impact of variables on beekeeping farm performance to validate and refine theoretical frameworks;

e) Pursue interdisciplinary research exploring linkages between beekeeping, climate change adaptation, and rural sustainable development.

Addressing these priorities will strengthen strategies for sustainable beekeeping systems while ensuring findings remain actionable for stakeholders in academia, policy, and rural communities.