CIAPSA 2026

Bees, a pillar of food sovereignty

Name: CIAPSA 2026 — International Symposium “Bees, a Pillar of Food Sovereignty”
Start: 2026-11-25
End: 2026-11-26

Sustainable solutions for resilient food systems. On 25 and 26 November 2026 in San-Pédro, Côte d’Ivoire, and online.

Dates: 25–26 November 2026
Venue: San-Pédro, Côte d’Ivoire; In person and online
Participants: Around 250; Researchers, beekeepers, cooperatives, policymakers
Languages: French and English

The symposium

Making beekeeping a pillar of food sovereignty

In Côte d’Ivoire, as across West Africa, food security and food sovereignty remain major challenges, in the face of degraded ecosystems, intensive farming, climate change and a growing reliance on chemical inputs.

Pollinators pollinate a large share of food and cash crops — cocoa, cashew, shea, mango — and contribute directly to yields and to household food security. Beekeeping also gives farmers an additional source of income and a way to reduce their use of pesticides. Yet many farmers, cocoa farmers in particular, are still unaware of these benefits.

UIREC (Union Inter Régionale des Sociétés Coopératives) and BeeOdiversity, its main co-organiser, are organising an international symposium on beekeeping and food sovereignty. Its aim: to show, with scientific data and field experience, that bees and beekeeping are a strategic pillar of food sovereignty and sustainable agriculture in Côte d’Ivoire and West Africa.

San-Pédro hosts the symposium: a region with strong agricultural and beekeeping potential, where beekeeping is still emerging and can grow alongside the area’s major value chains, starting with cocoa.

Objectives

Raise awareness among policymakers, technical and financial partners and farmers of how much bees matter for pollination, crop yields and biodiversity.
Show the economic and agricultural benefits of beekeeping: more diverse incomes, value from hive products, and less dependence on chemical pesticides.
Help structure the Ivorian beekeeping sector, with a roadmap, an action plan and recommendations adopted at the close of the symposium.

Poster illustration: cocoa pods, cashew nuts, a jar of honey and a honeycomb among leaves and flowers

Talks and debates

Four themes

In plenary sessions and workshops, each followed by questions and discussion with the audience.

Theme 1 · Day 1
Pollination, bees and ecosystem services
The role of pollinators in Ivorian tropical crops (cocoa, cashew, mango), the economic value of ecosystem services, agroecology in cocoa-growing areas, and bee diversity in Côte d’Ivoire.
Theme 2 · Day 1
Pollinator and bee health
The drivers of decline (varroa, small hive beetle, crop protection treatments), the impact of agricultural pesticides, the tolerance of African bees, and colony health monitoring as an environmental bioindicator.
Theme 3 · Day 2
Beekeeping in West Africa and Côte d’Ivoire
The state of the Ivorian sector, the diversity of practices, modern and connected hives, income diversification in cocoa-growing areas, women in cooperatives, traditional knowledge and the regulatory framework.
Theme 4 · Day 2
Beekeeping and hive products
The quality and traceability of Ivorian honey, adding value to honey, wax, propolis and royal jelly, building local, regional and export markets, and technology for the sector.

Two days

On the programme

Opening and closing ceremonies
Addresses from the Ministries of Agriculture and the Environment, UIREC and BeeOdiversity, and a keynote on bees, biodiversity and food in West Africa.
Talks and debates
Ecosystem services and pollinator health on day one; the state and future of African beekeeping on day two.
“Flavours and Ivorian biodiversity” evening
A tasting of local honeys and hive products, stands from beekeeping cooperatives and companies, and a scientific poster exhibition.
Workshops
Bioindicators and pollinator health in national biodiversity strategies, a round table on beekeeping, sustainable agriculture and ecosystem restoration, and passing on traditional beekeeping knowledge.
Field visits
Visits to apiaries and beekeeping farms for participants who wish to join, logistics permitting.
Networking
Time to meet during the evening event, to build partnerships between researchers, beekeepers, cooperatives, policymakers and partners.

Who it is for

Who should attend

Around 250 participants, with content that blends science and plain-language explanation so everyone can follow.

Beekeepers and beekeeping cooperatives
Traditional and modern beekeepers, beekeeping cooperatives and federations.
Farmers
Cooperatives of cocoa, food-crop and market-garden farmers, especially those not yet keeping bees.
Researchers
Universities and agricultural and beekeeping research centres, in Côte d’Ivoire and abroad.
Public bodies and policymakers
Ministries, public agencies for the agricultural value chains, and local and regional authorities.
Technical and financial partners
Development agencies, donors, foundations and investment funds.
Private sector and civil society
Beekeeping and agri-food companies, cocoa and cashew businesses, agricultural and environmental NGOs, and the press.

Taking part

Four ways to join

The symposium is hybrid: anyone who cannot travel to San-Pédro can also take part online.

Participant
Access to the talks and workshops, with coffee breaks and lunches provided during the symposium.
Visitor
Access to the exhibition stands and the evening event.
Exhibitor
For companies and cooperatives that want to present their products and services.
Sponsor
For companies and institutions that want to associate their name with the symposium.

Partners