Beekeeping Project

Proposal
1.0 Executive Summary

Beekeeping is emerging as a very successful agricultural practice for local people in rural
areas of less developed countries. Not only does the practice of beekeeping have intrinsic
health benefits through providing a food source of great nutritional value which is lacking
in rural areas, but beekeeping requires few inputs and capitalises on a ready supply of
pollen. In rural areas there is almost an unlimited source of pollen and bees aid greatly in
the natural cross pollination of local crops. Health benefits for local people reliant on small
agriculture to provide food are centred around the enriching qualities of honey in a diet
which is usually dependent upon staple.

The area was famous for orange gardens earlier. But intense & recurrent droughts in the east
decade devastated many orchards so farmers shifted to annual crops, including new ones such
as soybean recently. Purna is the main river here. A small dam has recently been completed at
Khadakpurna that will irrigate about 800 ha land from about 10 villages. This may improve
cropping & income. Silk & honey bee rearing, dairy of local breed of cows & goat farming,
poultry & pulse processing suggested here to improve local agriculture & economy. This will
create local employment, improve income, reduce emigration & farmers’ suicides, it is hoped.

This project aims to establish 100 hives on the land of the rural Community in the trading
district of Vidharabh. These hives and the initial training of ten members of this local
community will be used as a platform for the training and support of up to 100 local people
who are interested in beekeeping per year. The major goals of this project are hence
twofold: to provide a new stream of income for the work of the community and their
partner organization and to alleviate poverty through the training and support of local
people in the practice of beekeeping. Full costing, project dynamics, key personnel and
critical risks are detailed in this proposal.

Area falls in assured rain fall zone. It receives monsoon rains during June to October. The
average annual rain fall is 857.4 mm spread over 51 rainy days. The district is characterized by
warm and humid climate in June to October and later on there is a gradual decline in the
temperature from October onwards and December is the coolest month. The average maximum
and minimum temperature of the district is 44.40 C and 12.40 C respectively.

Due to black cotton soil with a good water holding capacity, cotton dominates the cropping
pattern; Assured rainfall, hard rock soil formation, high cost of digging and uncertainty of
adequate discharge has limited the development of irrigation sources in the district including
ground water potential. Of the gross irrigated area, 30% area is under cereals, 5% under pulses,
10% under chilli, turmeric and other condiments and spices crops, 4.5% under fruits and
vegetables crops and 5% under oil seed crops.

About 93% area is rainfed, & cotton is the main cash crop, occupying 50% of total cropped
area. An area of 40% is under food grain crops of which Jowar (Sorghum) is the major crop
occupying 43% of it. Is grown in 16%. The area under fruits and vegetables crops is 4% and
1% respectively of the farm area. Santra (Orange) occupies the major part of (93%) the fruit
crop, mango on 3% & lemon on 2% area.
Cotton is the main crop of kharif, while Soyabean, Jowar (sorghum), Tur, Mug, Udid,
groundnut are the other kharif crops sown. Wheat and gram are the major rabi crops followed
by Sunflower and Mustard. Groundnut & Sunflower are the crops grown during summer
season.

2.0 Project Description

Apiculture is a powerful way of tackling poverty at the grassroots level. CCD in
partnership with the farmer Community is looking to establish fifty hives as a platform
for the training and adoption of beekeeping practice in Amravati. This project is primarily
concerned with reducing poverty among rural people.

2.1 Goals and Objectives

Phase 1 of this project is an establishment phase which will take place during 2016.
Plans for further phases will be developed during the evaluation at the end of 2016.

Goals and Objectives:

• To establish 100 hives and train a core contingent of 20 local community members
in the practice of beekeeping.
• To introduce a further 100 local people to beekeeping as a means of providing
personal income and reducing local poverty with a targeted 40% adoption rate in
the first year.
• Improvement of local health standards through the use of bee products such as
honey and propolis.
.
• To establish an innovative model of microeconomic enterprise this can be
replicated in other parts of Vidharabh.

3.0 Project Dynamics

3.1 Environmental Climate
The social, cultural and economic climate of Amravati has great bearing on the dynamics
of any project undertaken. Poverty has become a systemic problem in Amaravati with low
levels of literacy, As the area is backward & poor in industries, agri-processing & agri-
inputs has major scope for growth. The farmers in the area are forced to sell the crop to
the Brokers (called Saokar) with whatever rate broker decide as the farmers are
indebted to brokers. Farmers generally take high interest loan from brokers for
marriage, agriculture inputs, and family health.

3.2 Beekeeping
Apiculture is the deliberate rearing of honeybees for production of honey and other bee
products. Previously the practice of bee rearing in Amaravati was entirely rural based and
practiced on a small scale by rural youths. It was not until recently that the government
made efforts towards improving the practice of beekeeping. The government has now
recognized the practice as one of the economic activities that has potential for contributing
to poverty reduction in the country. This sector falls under the mandate of the National Bee
Board promoted by SFAC under Department of Agriculture & Cooperation in the Ministry
of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
The government through the National Strategy for Development of Apiculture for
improving Crop productivity during the VIII plan(1994-95) in May 2005 Beekeeping has
been included as a supplemental activity under NHM for promoting cross pollination of
Horticulture crop. In India 2008 is trying to address some of the problems affecting this
sector through extension services, establishing R & D, Production & Distribution of Honey
bee colonies, processing centers and supporting and promoting large-scale producers and
processors.
Physically Vidharabh specially Amravati district has been greatly endowed with a
xerophytic vegetation that favours beekeeping development. The major cash crops (cotton,
orange, pipli, sunflowers, and soyabeen) in the area provide an interdependence system in
which the bees assist in carrying out cross pollination. This eventually leads to higher
yields with farmers benefiting from richer crops. In turn the bees use these flowers as
nectar and pollen sources, which will eventually provide honey with which the people will
generate income to improve their living standards.
Similarly the xerophytic vegetation in this area biologically enhances the existence of a
large population of bees. This area of Amravati has been greatly endowed with this
resource and is one which has not been fully utilized thus far.

3.2.1 Establishment of Project

Establishment of this project relies on the founding of 100 hives on community

land as well as the training of key people in beekeeping skills. There is an initial
establishment timeframe of 1 year. In the first year this project aims to meet the
key goals and objectives before an evaluation looks at possible expansion of the
initiative.

Establishment of 100 hives involves the following inputs:

Items Unit Cost Units Required Total Costs (INR)

Bee hive 3800 100 380000

Smokers 150 8 1200
Queen gate 35 50 3500
1750
Extractor 3500 2 7000
Gloves 100 12 1200
Face net cap 200 8 1600
Trays & container 800 25
20000
Testing equipments 3000 1 3000
Wires/nails 300 4 12000
Contingency@10% 42,775
Transportation 50000
Totals 5,20,525

Training
 Training will be divided into 3 phases, which will be run over a period of
five months, and will cover the content summarized in Appendix 2. The
training will involve both theory and practical elements with each phase
involving three days of theory and two days of practical application. The
training will be done by an independent beekeeping expert who has
worked in Apiculture in Northern & North east India for over 15 years.

Item Cost No. of days Total (INR)

1. Resource person
Honouriam 2500 3 7500
2. Transport for facilitator 5,000 3 15000
3. Stationery 15000
4. Trainee Transportation cost 15,000 3 75000
5. Follow up for support
300,000
supervision
Total cost for one phase of
training 4,12,500
Total cost for 3 phases of
training 12,37,500

Total cost for establishing this project is INR – 17,58,025.00

3.2.2 Projected Benefits

One beehive typically produces 20 - 25 kg of honey per year with few inputs required
after establishment. One kg of honey in India sells for around INR 150/. 100 hives can
generate Rs. 3, 75,000 per year. In a country where the average monthly per capita
income during FY 2015-16 is Rs.7, 769.25(USD 117.10) according to GoI latest data
showed that rural India accounted for 73% households & 74% of these survived on a
monthly income of less than Rs.5000 of its highest earner, beekeeping thus has enormous
potential to galvanize the income of poverty stricken local people. Given the projected
costs and benefits one beehive would pay maximum (approx 43%) of its establishment
costs in the first year. With very little maintenance and ongoing labor required after
establishment of the hives, apiculture is an extremely cost effective agricultural activity.

3.2.3 Pursuing Strategic Objectives

The fundamental objectives of this project is
• The alleviation of poverty in rural areas of Vidharb; and
• The provision of an ongoing source of local income for the work of CCD &
GMCL.

In pursuit of these objectives this project will be established on community land and a core
group of ten local people will be fully trained in beekeeping. From this base of trained
local people an additional 100 people will be trained and offered support in establishing
the project on their own land. This will ensure that local people are given access to a
system of support and mentoring throughout the establishment of their own hives. The
establishment of a hive for a rural family will have benefits in augmented income, greater
daily sustenance of family members and the ability to generate substantial savings in
making wax based products needed for a subsistence lifestyle.

Revenue raised through the hundred hives that are initially established will be put towards
the emerging work of GMCL. CCD will provide staff who will oversee the establishment
of the project and provide administrative support. The training of staff in the processes of
beekeeping will also further augment their ability to provide practical skills for the young
people with whom they work.

4.0 Critical Risks and Accountability

Critical risks associated with this project include:
• Poor adoption rate of participants and wasted teaching resources
• Wasted bee products in initial raids due to inexperience
• Vandalism to hives
• Longer lag time in establishment and production