Beekeeping in Pangoa

Pangoa Valley is an area in Peru, with soil rich in nutrients and an environment perfect for growing coffee, where we source beans that form parts of our coffee blends. The area is also home to many low-income families, and finding ways to increase income alongside coffee farming is very important for the community.

Overtime, the use of poor agricultural practices in the Pangoa Valley has led to a deterioration of ecological habitats and a decrease in biodiversity in the area. This contributes towards issues such as poor soil health, low productivity and has also altered the habitats of wildlife including the native bee species, leading to a decrease in the space they have for pollination. This has not only limited how much income can be made from the by-products of the bees, but also prevents them from helping maintain biodiversity and forest dynamics which is key for the health of other plant and tree species. 

Since 2008, Pangoa has been working with its farmers to improve agricultural practices including promoting bee keeping as an extra source of income. In 2022, Taylors partnered with Pangoa to work on a project which aimed to improve and maintain biodiversity and the ecosystem in five sectors of the Pangoa Valley where the families of our coffee supplier live, with the hope that 544 people would benefit from the work. 

As part of the project the farmers were provided with training, which highlighted the importance of maintaining ecosystem health and biodiversity as well as how bee keeping plays an important role in this and how it can be used to support them with additional income. Management techniques will also be included in the training, such as the transfer of hives; division of hives; food; reinforcement of weak colonies, and extraction of honey derivatives.

So far 22 hives have been distributed to coffee farmers in the area who have been selected based on their knowledge in beekeeping and their communication skills. This is so they can pass on the knowledge to future farmers who may also want to pursue bee keeping within the organisation. It is hoped that up to 100 hives in total will be given out. Supplies will also be provided to support the control of pests and diseases of bees that are affected by changes in temperature and humidity in the hives, along with help to commercialise the by-products such as honey, pollen and propolis.

The project aims to relieve food insecurity for families in the Pangoa Valley by increasing pollination of different types of foods crops and the production of honey, as well as generating additional income for the community. In the next few years, we are hoping that the production of seeds, fruit and forest trees will help with maintaining biodiversity and the ecosystem in the Pangoa Valley, as farmers adapt to a changing climate.