Our relationship with bees goes way back. About 9,000 years, according to an extensive analysis of beeswax residue found on ancient pottery shards. Today we still depend on these industrious creatures as pollinators and honey producers.

Unfortunately, bees—and the livelihoods of those who keep them—are threatened due to pesticides, parasites, habitat loss, and climate change. 

Latin America and Caribbean accounts for 14% of global honey production. Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil are among the top honey exporters in the world. To date, countries in the region have succeeded in honey production despite poor colony management. However, beekeepers need to adapt their ways in the face of more frequent and intense floods and droughts brought on by climate change. 

Finding out what works best to build the climate resilience of this age-old practice is critical. 

Recent evidence from an impact study of a pilot program we conducted in Mexico shows that by providing small-scale beekeepers with a combination of basic inputs, training, and, most importantly, queen bees, they increased their number of hives, honey production, and yields. They also adopted improved hive management practices, boosting resilience. 

In June 2020, tropical storm Cristobal wreaked havoc on the southeastern state of Yucatán, where most of Mexico’s honey is produced. Severe flooding affected the state’s entire supply chain. Small beekeepers were hit the hardest, facing devastating damage with scarce resources to rebuild their hives.

To help them recover, improve productivity, and build resilience to future climate events, in July 2021, IDB Invest and the Mexican food company Naturasol deployed a one-year pilot program with small-scale beekeepers in Yucatán who sell their honey to Mielmex, Naturasol’s sister company.

At the time, Naturasol—a strategic client of IDB Invest—had over 16,000 honey suppliers, 95% of whom were small-scale. Investing in solutions to help small producers adapt to climate change is a win-win for private sector companies such as Naturasol, as greater resilience means stronger supply chains.

 

Watch our video about this project (in Spanish).

 

The program was implemented by Agroeco, a consulting firm specializing in beehive management, and included four main components:

• 1) basic inputs for feeding, pest control, and equipment;
• 2) general training on sustainable hive management practices;
• 3) new queen bees with improved genetics; and
• 4) training focused on queen bee breeding.

Training was in the local Mayan language and included group workshops and individual follow-up visits. The content was defined based on the needs identified by the producers, and it was delivered by local beekeepers who were trained as technicians.

To measure the impact of this approach, we conducted a study using before and after survey data from 356 honey producers. We compared the effects on key outcomes such as honey production and yields for producers who received the “full package,” including all four components of the intervention, and those who only received basic inputs (who served as the “control group”).

The results show that the comprehensive program paid off. Beekeepers who received the “full package” increased the number of hives in their colonies by 24%, honey production by 33%, and most importantly, yields by 11%, compared to the control group (see Figure 1a).

This led to higher monthly income from honey sales, increasing from US$100 in 2020 to US$163 in 2022. The full approach was also cost-effective, generating US$1.2 in additional honey sales per US$1 invested in the program.

Beekeepers receiving the “full package” were also more likely to adopt best practices in hive management, which bodes well for longer-term climate resilience. They were nearly 50% more likely to change their queen bees annually and breed queens themselves, relative to the control group (see Figure 1b). This is an important improvement, as high-quality queens are considered one of the most crucial factors for productive beekeeping.

Impact of the "full package" (Figure 1)

 

The main drivers behind these positive results seem to be the new queen bees in terms of increasing hives, honey production, and yields, as well as the training to encourage the uptake of best practices. In addition to the tangible benefits they experienced, beekeepers who received the “full package” were also more likely to think that people can take action to address climate change, just as they had themselves.

Hopefully, this action-oriented mindset inspires world leaders’ actions and commitments during COP28 in Dubai and beyond. Although we must take extensive action on many fronts to address the climate crisis, this experience from Mexico demonstrates that there are practical, win-win measures that the private sector can take to increase climate resilience among those who will be most affected.

This way, we can prolong the beneficial relationship between bees and their keepers for many years to come.

For more details about the results of this impact study, see our December 2023 DEBrief, What Works Best to Strengthen Beekeeper Productivity and Climate Resilience? Also check out this video about the pilot program.