The SANAPI project in Bolivia: a story of success and innovation

At Terra Madre 2024, a special honey takes center stage: the honey produced by rural communities—especially women—in the Bolivian districts of Monteagudo y Muyupampa, Aiquile, and Tiquipaya.

Launched in 2023 as a joint effort between the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), ASPEm, CesVI and the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, the SANAPI project focuses on promoting sustainable production practices that benefit the environment while supporting family livelihoods. The project’s core activities include different macro-initiatives such as sustainable land management, agroforestry development, beekeeping training, and the production and commercialization of eco-friendly products.

“Bolivia is facing unprecedented consequences from the climate crisis,” says project coordinator Mario Perego from ASPEm. “In 2023, 486,000 families were economically affected by drought, more than 6 million hectares of forest were burned and lost, and 60% of rivers were contaminated by mining. The project’s priority is therefore to focus on the sustainable management of economic activities while protecting forests and biodiversity. Beekeeping was chosen because it has one of the least anthropic impacts on ecosystems.”

Slow Food is particularly involved in the production and commercialization of honey in the three selected districts. At today’s conference, Sanapi Project: Water, Land, and Forest, representatives from associations working with beekeepers discussed the initial challenges of finding a market for honey, even at the local level. This is partly due to honey in Bolivia being viewed primarily as medicine or for seasonal use (in winter), and difficulties in characterizing production.

To address these challenges, the University of Milan has been involved in the project, conducting studies on the origin and nutritional value of the honey produced since 2023. “From the 60 samples collected,” says university researcher Erica Holzer, “a good percentage have been correctly characterized from a botanical point of view, but there is still a lot of work to be done to make them competitive products in an already established market like Argentina.”

Speakers from the University of Milan also highlighted the potential and value of the honey produced by these communities. Their research analyzed the honey from nutritional perspectives as well, emphasizing the critical role bees play in maintaining biodiversity and supporting sustainable agriculture.

On Sunday morning, from 11 a.m. to 12 noon, you can sample the project’s honey at the Honey Space at Terra Madre in a special tasting event with the country delegates. Don’t miss your spot!