Bees are extremely beneficial on farms because they play a vital role in pollination, which directly increases crop yield, quality, and diversity.

Pollination Boosts Crop Yields

Bees transfer pollen from the male parts of a flower (anthers) to the female parts (stigma) of the same or another flower.

  • This process fertilizes plants, enabling them to produce fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts.
  • Without bees, many crops would produce fewer or no fruits at all.
    Examples: Almonds, coffee, apples, cucumbers, melons, and many berries rely heavily on bee pollination.

Improves Crop Quality

Bee-pollinated crops tend to be:

  • Larger and more uniform in size
  • Better shaped and more visually appealing
  • More nutritious, with higher sugar or oil content in some species

Encourages Biodiversity and Soil Health

By helping multiple types of plants reproduce, bees promote diverse plant species on and around farms.

  • Plant diversity improves soil structure and fertility.
  • It supports beneficial insects and wildlife that help control pests naturally.

Increases Farmer Income

More and better-quality crops mean higher yields and market value.

  • Farmers benefit economically from from higher prop production from these pollinator services.
  • Bees produce honey and wax that can be sold for additional income to the farm.

Essential for Food Security

Bees contribute to about one-third of the world’s food supply.
Their pollination ensures the steady production of many nutritious foods humans and livestock depend on.

Thanks to the generous Levantando donors, we began our Honeybee initiative in April 2024.

2024 Pilot Beekeeper Project

Beekeeper Maria was selected for our pilot farm. She completed her beekeeper training and received 2 bee hives, 2 colonies of bees, basic beekeeper training, beekeeper suits, safety equipment, and tools. Within six months, we observed an increase in pollination for crops and beekeeper Maria provided suggestions to improve the training and education materials to better assist the new beekeepers.

2024 Beekeeper Expansion

During 2024, we expanded our beekeeper initiative to 12 bee hives and training farmers around the island. Each farmer receives basic beekeeping instruction, initial beehive set-up, beehive boxes, and a colony of honeybees for every beehive.

  • Beehive boxes filled with frames and bees
  • Beekeeper protective suits & gloves
  • Beekeeper tools and smoker
  • Initial beehive setup
  • Ongoing expert Beekeeper support

2025 Program and Beyond

Two of our beekeeper farmers are now harvesting and producing honey!

In addition to continued bee education, Levantando will include hands on workshops for honey harvest and honey bottling. We continue to add more farmers to our beekeeping initiative and more additional training, tools, and support

Our generous Levantando supporters are providing a positive impact to agriculture in Puerto Rico! The overall impact for each farmer is a noticeable increase in crops from increased pollination from the bees. The resulting honey harvest will serve as an additional revenue stream for our farmers.

The primary purpose of our bee initiative is to boost crop production on the farms with better pollination as a direct result of the introduction of bees. In addition to an increase in crops production, we are contributing to the overall bee populations around the island.