World Bee Day (May 20) is a moment to raise awareness about the outsized and critical roles that bees play in the world. Globally, they’re responsible for pollinating at least one-third of all food crops, from vegetables and fruits to nuts and seeds. Their fast and effective services also help to maintain plant biodiversity and global food security, making bees indispensable to the ecological, economic and agricultural health of the planet.
In coffee regions, beekeeping has been introduced for its three-fold benefits: as a way to increase coffee crop yields, as an additional source of calories in food-scarce communities, and as way for farmers to diversity their income.
The non-profit Food 4 Farmers, which focuses on strengthening food systems in coffee communities, has been a leader in this work. Since 2015, InterAmerican has been thrilled to support Food 4 Farmers’ bee-keeping program at the Maya Ixil cooperative in El Quiché, Guatemala. Food 4 Farmers first began working with Maya Ixil in 2014, after the roya fungus devastated crops; by 2016, the producers had increased their honey production by 200 percent, making it their second-largest income after coffee.
Beekeeping lessons at the Maya Ixil cooperative.
Specifically, InterAmerican has funded the salary of Domingo de la Cruz Toma, a coffee producer and beekeeper who now leads the apiary school at Maya Ixil, instructing other farmers on how to raise bees, ensuring that hives are healthy and productive, and sharing his apiculture expertise.
To enjoy the coffees of these beekeeping-producers, please consider sampling our Guatemala Maya Ixil de Avelina Fairtrade Organic. Cupping notes for this new harvest, now afloat, include “pink lady apple, honey, tart cherry, apple and lemon fragrance, and a sweet aftertaste.”
Or, to directly support the work of Food 4 Farmers, which stretches from Mexico to Colombia and includes encouraging farmers markets, school gardens, home gardens and seed saving efforts, please consider donating.•
