Young adults in rural Mexico don't consider field work as a dignifying activity. They see their family struggling with unstable income, climate change and difficult livelihoods, no matter the amount of work invested in their productive activities. They don't want this for themselves. They prefer to migrate -mostly to the US- seeking for better opportunities. By offering them a real job with stable income, real responsibilities and working with their families, youngsters can choose to stay home.
Chiapas is the most biodiverse state, with a big social gap and lowest economic development in Mexico. Chiapas 'social exclusion and poverty conditions are as high as some sub-Saharan African countries: 78.4% of its population lives in poverty and 32.8% in extreme poverty. It is also a migrant ejector: one of every two young Mexican migrants in the US comes from Oaxaca, Chiapas or Guerrero. Job opportunities are rare and more so for the young and uneducated living in isolated rural communities.
Our solution is to provide rural youngsters the training, technology and coaching they need to become supervisors of local honey coops. We want to help them become an asset to the coops worthy of a salary. To attract them, their job as supervisors will be based on mobile technologies. As part of their job, they will also learn about smart beekeeping, innovative business models in the rural sector and how to interact with stakeholders outside their communities- such as buyers and suppliers.
Chiapas is the poorest state in Mexico and home to 1.3 million indigenous people. Honey producers in Chiapas rely on one harvest per year and are subject to inclement weather conditions, amongst other problems. With your donation, we will help many honey producers and their descendants adapt to climate change and increase their income without having to leave home. Focusing on young adults, the impact of your donation will not end today. It will flourish into future generations.