Melipona beecheii, Farmland and Forest

The Mennonites, representing advanced agriculture and environmental transformation, and the Mayan beekeepers, representing traditional agriculture, have come into cultural collision. The expanding intensive farmland and genetically modified crops are persecuting the Melipona beecheii, and the Mayan beekeeping tradition is disappearing.

Based on a landscape planning perspective, our goal is to create a symbiotic system of farmland, bees, and forest in Campeche State. We classified various land types by assessing the ecological sensitivity and fragmentation of the site, and designed targeted strategies such as intensive farms, new cooperative farms and ecological forest beekeeping to build a sustainable symbiotic system. We encourage Mennonites and local beekeepers to work together towards a more sustainable future.