Mayan beekeepers take the fight for their honey to Mexico's Supreme Court
Mayan beekeeper Leydy Pech built a coalition that challenged genetically modified soy permits in court, defending native bees, honey livelihoods and Indigenous communities' right to be consulted.
The small thing
With other Mayan women in Hopelchén, she helped revive the keeping of the native stingless bee Melipona beecheii, known locally as Xunáan Kab.
The problem
Honey is a vital income for Mayan families on the Yucatán Peninsula. In 2012 Mexico's government permitted Monsanto to plant herbicide-tolerant GM soy in seven states, including Campeche, without consulting local communities. Researchers later found GM soy pollen in Campeche honey and glyphosate in Hopelchén's water.
Why Leydy started
According to the Goldman Environmental Prize, the GM soy permits threatened local honey, the environment and livelihoods, and Indigenous communities had not been consulted. Pech described the campaign as a struggle for life.
What they did
In June 2012 Pech formed the coalition Sin Transgénicos, bringing together beekeepers, NGOs and environmentalists, and that month sued the Mexican government, arguing that failing to consult Indigenous communities breached Mexico's Constitution and ILO Convention 169.
She worked with universities to gather evidence on pollen in honey and glyphosate in water, and the coalition ran workshops, petitions and simultaneous protests at seven Mayan ceremonial sites.
What changed
According to the Goldman Prize, Mexico's Supreme Court ruled unanimously in November 2015 that Indigenous communities must be consulted before GM soy is planted, which effectively cancelled the permits in Campeche and Yucatán. In September 2017 the national agricultural health service revoked Monsanto's permits in seven states. Latin America Bureau reported in 2023 that illegal soy planting and fumigation continued and that consultation processes had stalled.
What they learned
Pech's campaign relied on combining Indigenous rights law with scientific evidence and broad community organising, according to accounts by the Goldman Prize and Latin America Bureau.
Copy this idea
Practical guidance written by our editors from the sources below. Adapt it to your place, and check local rules and safety first.
- Problem addressed
- Local farming or beekeeping livelihoods threatened by decisions taken without community consultation.
- What to do
- Build a coalition of producers and allies, gather independent evidence, and use consultation and rights law.
- Materials and resources
- Records of local impacts, links with universities or labs, legal advice.
- Approximate cost
- Moderate
- Skills
- Community organising, partnership with researchers, legal support.
- Time
- Years.
- People needed
- A coalition of producers, NGOs and lawyers.
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Risks and limitations
- Campaigners can face threats; plan for safety and seek support from human rights organisations.
- How to adapt it
- Use the consultation laws and rights that apply in your own country.
- Lessons learned
- Independent scientific evidence strengthens community legal claims.
Why it matters
A court ruling did not end pressure on the region's forests and bees, and enforcement has been weak. But the case set a precedent that Indigenous communities must be consulted before such crops are planted, and showed how small-scale producers can defend both their livelihoods and biodiversity through the law.
What didn't work
She faced discrimination and threats. Latin America Bureau reported that illegal GM soy planting and fumigation continued after the ruling, and that disputes over land use with large-scale agriculture persist.
Editor's note
Beekeeping work with Mayan women predates the 2012 legal campaign. Most recent independent profile found is from November 2023 (Latin America Bureau); no 2024–2026 news on her personally was found.
Sources: how do we know?
Evidence level: Documented. Supported by reliable published sources such as UN agencies, award bodies and reputable journalism. Not yet independently re-verified by our editors. What the person says and what independent sources establish are attributed separately in the text.
- award body
Leydy Pech – 2020 Goldman Environmental Prize, North America — Goldman Environmental Prize, 2020Supports: Background, Koolel-Kab membership, Sin Transgénicos coalition and lawsuit (June 2012), evidence gathering, protests, 2015 Supreme Court ruling, 2017 permit revocation, discrimination. - reputable journalism
Leydy Pech: the Mayan beekeeper who took on a corporate giant — Rachel Stevenson, Latin America Bureau, 30 November 2023Supports: Revival of Xunáan Kab beekeeping with Mayan women; lawsuit and outcomes; threats; continued illegal soy planting and stalled consultation.