Safeguard Bees and Beekeepers in Madagascar

The last quarter has brought both encouraging progress and significant challenges for the beekeeping project. Three months of savings deposits are now complete across the six savings groups, with 79% of beekeepers actively contributing. Even more encouraging, 76% of those participants saved at least twice, indicating that strong saving habits are beginning to take hold.

On the environmental side, the bee forage planted after January’s fires is being carefully monitored to track germination and survival rates. This data will guide decisions for the next planting season. Eucalyptus seedlings are showing a healthy 75% survival rate, a crucial step toward restoring forage and strengthening future colony health.

The project has also faced major setbacks. Tropical Storm Jude damaged 54 older hives, leading to colony abscondment. Then, in June, a government-led helicopter pesticide spray; launched in response to a locust swarm and without warning to communities, caused the death of 117 bee colonies.

In response, SEED has held constructive discussions with the local ministry, urging them to provide advance notice of any future pesticide applications so beekeepers can protect their hives. At the same time, the team is developing a colony-restoration strategy to address losses from both the storm and the pesticide incident.

Despite these difficulties, the overall picture is one of resilience and steady progress. The strong participation in savings groups, combined with promising habitat-restoration indicators, shows that beekeepers remain committed and that the project’s long-term goals are on track. Continued monitoring, engagement with government partners, and the forthcoming restoration strategy will help safeguard livelihoods and ensure that both the economic and environmental foundations of the project remain strong in the months ahead.

Thank you so much for your continued support

As we move further into 2025, Project Renitantely continues to empower beekeepers in the face of growing environmental challenges. While the January wildfires and a high varroa mite season are expected to affect the upcoming honey harvest, the response from the beekeeping community has been nothing short of resilient.

In March, Cyclone Jude swept through southeast Madagascar, bringing strong winds that knocked down trees and crushed multiple hives across project sites. Despite this, beekeepers acted quickly, many supported by training and resources previously distributed by the project to maintain hive health and adapt to shocks.

Following both the fires and the cyclone, SEED delivered emergency distributions of bee forage and pest management resources, including 530 fruit tree seedlings, 40 natural pest control plants, 17kg of Moringa seeds, and 53 packets of Apistan. Training accompanied these distributions to ensure effective use and fast recovery.

Progress hasn’t stopped. In April, after a successful needs assessment, six new savings groups were launched across all project sites. 53 beekeepers began contributing, building financial resilience alongside their hives. This followed the completion of our financial literacy training programme, which wrapped up in March and April with an endline assessment, marking a key milestone in promoting sustainable household-level financial planning.

Even in the face of setbacks, beekeepers continue to push forward with determination, adaptability, and support from their communities and this project. Every new seedling planted, savings group formed, and hive repaired is part of a wider effort to ensure beekeeping remains a stable and rewarding livelihood.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we are helping Madagascar’s beekeepers build strength not just for today, but for the future.