Vulnerabilities, Environmental Threats, and Recursive Crises under COVID-19: Dilemmas for Beekeeper-Farmers in Yucatan, Mexico

Abstract

In this article we connect theoretically the concepts of structural vulnerabilities, recursive crises, and disasters through the linking-up of the COVID-19 pandemic with extreme hydrometeorological events in three municipalities in southern Yucatan, Mexico. The main research goal was to show the effects in productive and commercial systems in beekeeper and farmer households and their coping strategies to highlight the inter-relationships between historical vulnerabilities, crises, and disasters. The methodological approach included ethnographic fieldwork, 101 semi-structured interviews, and five focal groups. In the results, we reconstruct the agro-productive and commercial vulnerabilities built up since 1960 and contextualize the health and hydrometeorological crisis to show how some 87% of households suffered severe consequences to their incomes. The prices of main products (maize, fruit, honey) reached historically low levels as a result of conditions within local markets during the crisis. Half of the households surveyed had to make use of savings and more than 60% received no support from government or from development agencies. We conclude by pointing out the need for accompanying the design and implementation of community mitigation plans, which should take as a starting point the recovery of knowledge and local organization in order to demand from government co-managed, preventive programs, and capacities that would enable communities to confront increasing negative consequences in situations of global climate change and market instabilities in local peasant contexts. Our study aims to reach policy-makers, social organizations, and communities in order to highlight the importance of developing joint capabilities to respond to growing environmental, economic, and health vulnerabilities.

Advances and knowledge gaps on climate change impacts on honey bees and beekeeping: A systematic review

“…However, they are starting to be developed in different regions of the world. We documented three studies conducted in Africa (Ahenkan et al., 2020; Newman et al., 2021; Ukamaka & Eberechukwu, 2018), three in Latin America (Gajardo‐Rojas et al., 2022; Gallardo‐López et al., 2021; Lazos‐Chavero et al., 2022), two in Europe (Bislimi, 2022; Vercelli et al., 2021), one in Asia (Buchori et al., 2022), and one in Oceania (Patel et al., 2020). Methodologically, they have followed case study approaches for selecting areas within specific countries, and these cases have been defined based on their relevance to beekeeping production in each country, as well as their interest in studying climate change.…”

“…Methodologically, they have followed case study approaches for selecting areas within specific countries, and these cases have been defined based on their relevance to beekeeping production in each country, as well as their interest in studying climate change. Several research designs have been employed, including qualitative techniques (Ahenkan et al., 2020; Bislimi, 2022; Patel et al., 2020; Vercelli et al., 2021) and quantitative techniques (Buchori et al., 2022; Gallardo‐López et al., 2021; Ukamaka & Eberechukwu, 2018), as well another group has used mixed methods, integrating perception and adaptation issues, also with some analyses of spatial, climatic, and economic indicators (e.g., production, trade, or consumption of apicultural products or services; Newman et al., 2021; Gajardo‐Rojas et al., 2022; Lazos‐Chavero et al., 2022). Through these studies, climate change was perceived as a negative factor or threat to the development of apiculture in several regions, combined with anthropogenic factors such as land‐use changes and pesticide use.…”