Beekeeping for resilience
How transforming honey production through improved beekeeping is increasing incomes and forest resilience in the Sofia region of Madagascar.
Improved beehives locally produced by farmers (Photo: FAO)
Beekeeping is a forest-based value chain well suited to the Sofia region. However, a lack of knowledge and skills had previously prevented members of the Sofia Region Farmers’ Union (Fivondronan’ny Tantsaha ao amin’ny Faritra Sofia, FFTS) from developing their honey businesses, despite its strong income potential and its link to environmental protection and valorisation. Most producers relied on wild harvesting, limiting both productivity and sustainability.
Forest and Farm Facility activities
Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) support has been crucial in strengthening skills, organisation and access to inputs. This includes:
- Training lead farmer beekeepers in apiculture techniques and standards
- Establishing reference sites
- Providing field-based training and support
- Organising exchange visits between beekeepers and processing sites
- Training carpenters to produce improved hives, and
- Setting up revolving services through equipment provision.
With FFF support, FFTS, a branch of the Farmers Development Association (Fikambanana Fampivoarana Ny Tantsaha, FIFATA), reoriented its activities towards developing value-added forest products such as honey. It also strengthened collaboration with other forest and farm producer organisations (FFPOs) to build capacity and exchange experiences.
Since January 2024, this process has moved from site identification to concrete farm-level implementation, involving 47 grassroots associations and 880 producers.
As a result, producers have moved from wild honey collection to improved beekeeping, with 316 locally made, improved hives produced and installed. Farmers have developed skills in swarm capture, modern apiculture and hive construction using local materials.
More than 3,000 additional litres of honey are now produced and sold annually, generating over US$11,000 in additional income. In total, 264 beekeepers now directly benefit, while 479 farms have been trained through a system of lead farmers, carpenters and technicians.
Significance of impact
This shift has been transformative for rural households. Income from honey supports families to improve nutrition and diversify livelihoods.
The development of the beekeeping sector has also strengthened the cultivation of nectar-producing plants such as coffee and mango trees, alongside forest regeneration efforts. FFTS also benefits from stronger value chains, increased environmental awareness and growing regional recognition.
The honey value chain is also highly inclusive. FFTS-FIFATA promotes the active involvement of women and young people across all stages – from hive construction and reforestation to marketing.
Training and support have strengthened women and young people’s self-confidence, reflected in increased participation in leadership, with 25% of elected representatives in 2025 being young graduates involved in FFTS organisations.
Conclusion
With FFF support, honey producers in the Sofia region have shifted from harvesting wild honey to developing a structured beekeeping sector based on improved hives and local value addition.
This transformation highlights how FFF support can catalyse the transition from traditional practices to structured, inclusive and environmentally sustainable value chains that improve rural livelihoods.
Further reading
Innovations for agroforestry uptake in Madagascar: the role of FITAFA. Tahina Solofoniaina Raharison (2025), project report