Climate change is decreasing bee population worldwide. In the last 3 years beekeepers in Mexico have suffered from severe droughts during honey season resulting in lower incomes for poor indigenous families. In order to prevent producers from giving up beekeeping, this project will provide 200 beekeepers with the skills to adapt to the sever effects of climate change that have decreased honey production.
Small beekeepers' livelihood is inextricably linked to climate. Like most smallholders, they are the ones who are affected the most by climate change yet are the least able to cope. Beekepers are faced with the challenge of producing enough honey to make ends meet in adverse weather conditions. Small honey producers will engage in innovative production techniques and introduce bee forage in their apiaries in order to increase their honey production.
Expert technicians will help beekeepers adapt the way they manage their beehives to changing blooming and rainy seasons. We will also help them obtain higher selling prices by helping them get their organic certification. In order to make sure beehives remain strong and healthy all year long, we will help beekeepers plant bee forage (bee friendly trees) in their plots.
Smallholder beekepers in Mexico rely on only one harvest per year and are subject to inclement weather conditions. By providing them with the coaching, skills and access to higher prices we will prevent 200 producers from abandoning beekeeping and set an example for thousands of other honey producers of how to adapt to climate change.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
