Identifying incentives and barriers for the incorporation of beekeeping as a side livelihood strategy

The Latino community is the fastest-growing minority group in the United States (US). Since 2010, the Latino population has grown by 23%, compared to an average increase of 4.3% for other racial/ethnic groups, and accounts for over 50% of US population growth (US Census Bureau 2021). Immigrant Latinos are still frequently clustered in the agricultural sector, comprising 75% of the nation's hired agricultural workforce. Due to the precariousness and low average levels of compensation for farm work, Latino families are disproportionately poor. The median national annual salary for a U.S. farm employee is $34,470 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023), marginally above the federal poverty line of $31,200 for a family of four. Moreover, Latino farmers tend to operate smaller, lower-revenue agricultural operations due to limited access to capital, information, and services (Minkoff-Zern, 2019), discrimination in lending practices, and inequitable distribution of USDA program funding, including for disaster assistance and other crop payments. We propose that honey production presents a unique side livelihood opportunity for Latinos in agriculture to improve their economic conditions.

Over the past decade, the beekeeping industry has enjoyed increased demand. The consumption of honey and honey-sweetened products has trended upward while production has declined, and therefore prices have remained elevated (USDA, 2022). Similarly, the pollination services market has grown at the same pace as fruits, nuts, and other pollinator-dependent crops across the country (Bond et al., 2021). Thus, beekeeping can be an important income-generating activity for small-scale farmers while simultaneously providing crop pollination services at their farms (Hinton et al., 2020). However, starting a beekeeping business requires access to knowledge and education, and building a trusted social network that beginner beekeepers can draw on to learn about basic knowledge, practices, and methods of implementation (Engebretson et al., 2022).

In the United States, beekeeping groups are primarily dominated by a white male demographic, which can pose language, social, and cultural barriers for individuals of other demographics who may be interested in starting a beekeeping business. As such, Latino farmers in the US likely struggle with linguistic and educational constraints, cultural and institutional barriers, social inequalities, and isolation when trying to engage in beekeeping activities (Minkoff-Zern, 2019). Preliminary data collected during a pilot study with five Latino farm owners and employees in Pennsylvania indicate that the biggest barriers for members of the Latino community to begin beekeeping activities are: (1) economic barriers to maintaining and scaling up operations; (2) time constraints, (3) access to land; and (4) lack of a social network in their native language. On the other hand, opportunities for successful beekeeping are linked to (1) livelihood diversification, (2) revitalization of family farming (involvement of partners and kids), and (3) interest in learning and diversified skills.

The research goals of this project are to identify incentives and barriers experienced by Latino farmers for adopting beekeeping practices. We will use the following study design:

• Population: Latino farm employees or owners in the Northeastern region of the US.
• Methodology: Our research objectives will be completed in parallel with the educational project. We plan to design and conduct focus groups and semi-structured interviews with the 25 farmers identified for this project. We will use in-depth interviews with the target population before and after the project. The baseline (pre-project) interviews will gather information about their agricultural work history in the US, their family livelihoods, identify their motivations to engage in beekeeping, and any perceived obstacles or barriers to successful participation. The follow-up (post-project) interviews will thoroughly assess their experience in the project, including the impacts of beekeeping on their livelihoods, any benefits from forming social networks with other Latinos in beekeeping, and their recommendations for future beekeeping work with the Latino community. Four focus group meetings with four to six different participants from our project in each focus group will complement these data by providing a forum for participants to identify shared benefits and obstacles and reflect collectively on the potential of beekeeping to positively impact their Latino community. Interviews will be conducted after IRB approval. Additionally, we will estimate the likely additional income that these farmers will have with the implementation of this technology.

• Data Collection and Analysis: Research will be conducted by project team members with significant experience collecting qualitative data with under-served farm owners and employees. We are well-versed in the need to build rapport and relationships through informal visits and reciprocal information-sharing, for example, and will be careful to avoid overly sensitive questions such as immigration status. Semi-structured interviews (both pre- and post-project) are expected to last approximately one hour each and will be conducted face-to-face in private locations or by telephone if participants prefer. Focus groups of four to six participants will take place virtually due to the likely geographic dispersal of project participants and are expected to last 60 to 90 minutes. All interviews and focus groups will be audio-recorded if participants give their consent, and handwritten notes will be taken if they do not consent to be recorded. We will transcribe the audio recordings, organize notes, and analyze them by coding them into themes and subthemes to develop a deeper understanding of the factors considered barriers and opportunities for beekeeping adoption as a side livelihood strategy, farm and economic impacts of beekeeping, benefits of the project, and recommendations for future work. We will use Nvivo software to organize and classify data to ensure that themes accurately represent participants' perspectives. Finally, we will write project reports and academic manuscripts that link our findings to the existing literature and theories around livelihood strategies and technology acceptance/adoption among under-served groups in agriculture.

• Farmer Input: After our first-year pilot study (see details below under 'previous work'), we had a meeting with all five participants and collected information on what aspects of the project had worked and what could be modified. The five participants were grateful for receiving this educational opportunity but emphasized the importance of farm visits and access to local experts to help them in their beekeeping journey. This feedback has been incorporated into the current design of the educational program. Additionally, we will be hosting a panel with last year's participants during the Spanish session at MAFVC, where they will share their experiences with participating in this project with their peers. We are actively engaging them in the communication strategy of the project and the recruitment of new participants for next year.
• Integration with Education Goals: The outcomes of our research objectives are not required to complete the educational component of the project but will inform future efforts to offer educational programs for the adoption of beekeeping practices to Latino farmers. This information will be valuable and can be used by extension educators and other agricultural services to more effectively design educational programs with similar goals. Additionally, our project will advance on the goal of building a network of Latino beekeepers in the region that can communicate, share resources, and support each other in their journey of becoming beekeepers.