What Works to Strengthen Beekeeper Productivity and Climate Resilience? Evidence from México

Abstract

This paper studies the effectiveness of a technical assistance program aimed at improving the productivity and the climate resilience of beekeepers in rural Mexico. The program was provided free-of-charge to beekeepers who lost hives during tropical storm Cristobal in 2020. Program participants in 14 localities of Yucatan were offered four main program components: (i) basic inputs, (ii) a year-long training on beehive management, (iii) queen bees, and (iv) a specific training on queen breeding. Due to the difficulties of implementing the program during the COVID-19 Pandemic, participants in 3 other nearby localities were offered only basic inputs and serve as a control group. We use a difference-in-differences approach combined with entropy balance to control for pre-existing differences across groups. We take advantage of a detailed baseline and follow-up survey of 356 beekeepers who participated in the program. Treated beekeepers increased their number of hives, honey production, yields, and adoption of best practices substantially more than the control group, who only received basic inputs. While the provision of the queen bee asset had the largest impact on honey production and yield, the trainings were particularly important for the adoption of best practices, which bodes well for longer-term climate resilience.