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The sisterhood of the beehive

How women beekeepers in Mexico are gaining financial independence while protecting the environment

May 19^th, 2025

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In Yucatan in southeast Mexico, women are building hives of sisterhood through the ancient art of beekeeping. Their endeavour is made possible with help from honeybees and the melipona beecheii, or Melipona, a native stingless bee that plays a vital role in safeguarding the peninsula's biodiversity.

Their honey, prized since ancient times for its medicinal properties and even used as currency, is a sweet legacy that endures. And because they pollinate a large variety of local plants, these bees maintain ecological balance and facilitate the restoration of the Maya Forest.

The Melipona is a native stingless bee that plays a vital role in safeguarding the Yucatan's biodiversity. Photo: UNDP Mexico/SGP Mexico

Between 2002 and 2023, Yucatan lost 547,000 hectares of tree cover, which equates to 184 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. This loss also takes away the bees’ food sources and breaks up their habitats, which are already fragile due to the extensive use of highly toxic pesticides like fipronil.

Another obstacle for the beehive sisterhood are the cultural norms that have made beekeeping a male-dominated sector, restricting women’s access to suitable land. Their participation is further limited by the unequal division of housework care work, and a lack of financial independence.

In the face of these challenges, UNDP launched the Green Sisterhood Networks in Mexico in 2023 to encourage women's economic empowerment through production practices linked to environmental conservation.

The first step was to conduct an assessment to identify the struggles women face. “The three big gaps we identified were lack of organization, lack of financial independence and lack of access to land,” says Pilar Ruiz, a project advisor on the peninsula.

Data reveal significant inequalities: just 27 percent of women surveyed in Yucatan are paid for their work. Of these, 38 percent earn between 100 and 150 Mexican pesos a month, equivalent to between US$5 and $25, in a country where the minimum monthly wage is approximately $275. In addition to low incomes, these women face social deprivations in key areas like education and health, which compounds their situation even further.

“Women don't usually have opportunities to make decisions about natural resources. Usually, the men are in charge,” says Irene Cauich, a project coordinator.

“When women have financial independence, they have a different level of power.”

As part of its strategy, the project introduced a comprehensive training cycle that includes workshops on sustainable apiculture, gender equality, financial resilience and managing environmental threats. Participants gain knowledge about hive reproduction, bee health and nutrition, and they receive specialized technical assistance on meliponiculture, which has enabled them to make products like mead, soaps and salves.

They also built their own apiaries with materials and supplies provided by the project, which included boxes, protective equipment, smokers and stainless-steel buckets or sieves. The women receive support to diversify their hive products throughout the process, with a focus on added environmental value and initial cost calculations. They also receive guidance about access to land through information provided by the National Agrarian Registry.

Along with everything she has learned, Claudia Cobb of Chocholá says she values the networks she has become a part of.

“To be brought together like this helps us have more of a sisterhood. We have more joint goals and challenges.”

For her part, Estela Yan Uc of Tepich says that sharing experiences with other women pushes her to keep going.

“Listening to my fellow beekeepers motivates me and keeps me from faltering when there are problems.”

Just like the bees in their hives, the women have formed mutual support groups. They have organized to manage their own financial resources by establishing small savings systems, so that they can support each other in times of need, facilitating access to resources for their apiculture projects and strengthening their financial independence.

In 2024, from saving between 50 and 100 Mexican pesos a month ($2 to $5) for between three and six months, some groups were able to save between 300 and 1,000 pesos per group ($15 to $51). Using their savings, they were able to make joint investments in beekeeping equipment. Another aim of the project was for the women to learn ways to track their savings, enabling them to make strategic plans for the money.

“We are on our way to achieving our goal, which is increase our number of bees and, if possible, for each of us to have our own apiary in the future,” says Esmeralda Chan, a member of the Xjon-ha’ac de Sudzal beekeeping group.

For Rita Tzuc Canté of Kinchil, a member of the Kiin Cab beekeeping group, the saving is an important part of her life.

“Like animals store their food, or insects – especially bees – for times of scarcity, these savings groups are a lifeline for people against anything unexpected.”

Yucatan currently has 11 groups of women beekeepers who have made great strides. In 2024, they had their first joint harvest, producing an average of 70 litres of honey per group. Eight of these groups have been able to market their product on their own, strengthening their independence and contributing to local economic development.

The project, which also has a presence in Oaxaca and Chiapas, has empowered women from Indigenous communities. Now, with technical and financial support from UNDP's funding window, these women will continue building their capacity to face challenges like drought, using climate adaptation measures. Additionally, 9 out of every 10 women’s groups have implemented savings mechanisms, reflecting their growing economic capacity and financial management skills.

With the hives as both a symbol and a tool, the beekeepers of Yucatan are cultivating a sisterhood that encourages more equitable economies, protects nature, strengthens the local economy, and puts new value on one of the oldest – and sweetest – trades in the world.