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ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 1

2015 - 16

ANNUAL REPORT

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 20162

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 3

CONTENTS

FOREWORD................................................................................................ 4

BEES.FOR.POVERY.REDUCTION.(BPR).PROGRAMME............ 6

. GUJARAT............................................................................................ 6

. MAHARASHTRA.............................................................................. 10

. MADHYA.PRADESH....................................................................... 14

INNOVATIONS............................................................................................ 16.

VOLUNTEERS.AND.INTERNS.............................................................. 18

EMPLOYEE.ENGAGEMENT................................................................... 20

FUNDRAISING.EVENT............................................................................ 22

URBAN.BEEKEEPING.............................................................................. 23

UTMT.IN.THE.MEDIA............................................................................... 24

FINANCIALS............................................................................................... 26

GET.INVOLVED.......................................................................................... 30

CONTACT.US.............................................................................................. 32

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 20164

FOREWORD

This.year.marked.a.significant.milestone.in.UTMT’s.journey..In.collaboration.

with.NABARD,.we.piloted.our.biggest.intervention.to.date,.with.1000.women.

in.two.of.the.most.backward.districts.in.India.–.Dangs.(Gujarat).and.Dhule.

(Maharashtra)..This. is.probably. the.first. time. that.Apis.cerana.beekeeping.

has.been.taken.to.women.in.such.large.numbers.in.India..The.pilot.helped.to.

establish.the.field.level.impact.that.beekeeping.can.have.in.increasing.yields.

for.small.holder.farms..Women.took.ownership.of.the.programme.in.a.big.

way.and.UTMT’s.first.women.Master.Trainer.cadre.emerged,.breaking.many.

gender.stereotypes.along.the.way..They.are.great.sources.of.inspiration,.to.

us.and.the.community..This.pilot.also.helped.us.tailor.our.programme.to.the.

needs.of.women.making.it.a.huge.learning.experience.for.us.

We.also.piloted.a.number.of.innovations:.

a).Low.cost.mud.hives.which.the.women.beekeepers.of.Dhule. ingeniously.

re-engineered. into.a.moveable.one.

b).New.techniques. in.colony.rearing.and.preventing.pest.attacks. in.boxes,.

and.

c).A.number.of.seeds.and.saplings.that.augment.bee.flora.were.identified.

and.distributed.with.good. results..

We.are.grateful.for.the.support.of.our.donors.(NABARD,.Dr.and.Mrs.S.M.H.

Modi. Hormus. House. Benevolence. Trust. Fund),. development. agencies.

(Reliance.Foundation),.corporate.partners.(RBL.Bank.and.Tata.Power).and.a.

number.of.individual.donors.who.have.helped.us.reach.where.we.are.today.

A.special.word.of.appreciation.and.thanks. to.our.Board. for. their. support,.

encouragement.and.our.team,.who.have.worked.very.hard.with.a.great.deal.

of.commitment.and.zeal..We.look.forward.to.another.year.of.new.milestones.

being. achieved. and. establishing. Apis. cerana. beekeeping. as. a. crucial.

agricultural. input. for. small. farmers..

Vijaya Pastala

President

Under.The.Mango.Tree.Society

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 5

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 20166

BEES FOR POVERY REDUCTION (BPR)PROGRAMME

GUJARATOur.Gujarat.programme.continues.to.focus.on.the.tribal.districts.of.Valsad.

and.Dangs,.with.a.smaller.presence.in.Bharuch.district,.Netrang.(a.Reliance

Foundation. collaboration). and. Silvassa. in. Dadra. and. Nagar. Haveli.. 1739.

farmers.have.been.trained.so.far..

The. women’s. beekeeping. pilot. in. Dangs. supported. by. NABARD. made.

significant.progress..It.involved.testing.suitability.of.the.beekeeping.concept.

for.women.by.training.500.Self.Help.Group.members..Advanced.skill.building.

workshops. were. held. for. progressive,. talented. beekeepers.. These. “Master.

Trainers”.are.responsible.for.caring.for.beeboxes.in.their.villages.and.reporting.

progress.

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 7

Two new aspects of the “beekeeping

ecosystem” were operationalised:

•. A. Beekeeping. Resource. Centre. at.

Tutarkhed. village,. Valsad. has. been.

developed,.functioning.as.a.residential.

training. center.. Training. activities,.

exposure. visits,. staff. orientations,.

farmer. meetings. are. regularly. held.

here.

•.Bee.flora:.To.assist.bees. in.accessing.enough.food.in.months.of.scarcity,.

one.of.our.Master.Trainers.experimented.by.planting.Sesame.(til).near.bee.

boxes..This.worked.well.-.10.weak.beeboxes.in.the.vicinity.became.healthy.in.

a.few.weeks,.three.of.them.strong.enough.to.yield.3.kgs.honey.each.in.the.

ensuing. honey. season.. Encouraged.

by.the.results,.3000.Adusi.(Adhatoda.

Vassica).saplings.were.distributed.to.

170. beekeepers. for. planting. around.

the.boxes..Seeds.of.Niger,.Pigeon.pea.

and.Sesame.were.distributed.to.100.

farmers.. These. small. measures. have.

greatly.improved.food.availability.for.

bees..The. initiative.received.support.

from.RBL.bank..

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 20168

Key outcomes in Gujarat:

Honey produced:. . Of. the. 455. kgs. of. honey. extracted. in. Valsad,. 352. kgs.

were.procured.by.Under.The.Mango.Tree.Naturals.and.Organics.Pvt.Limited,.

resulting.in.a.cumulative. income.increase.of.Rs.80,000.for.the.farmers..

Beeboxes generated by UTMT carpenters:. . Our. workshops. in. Valsad. and.

Dang. earned. Rs. 2,55,000. making. beeboxes. for. our. projects..

Beekeeping inputs:.Two.womens.Self.Help.Groups.from.Valsad.and.Dangs.

earned.an.additional.income.of.Rs.35750.by.production.and.sale.of.beekeeping.

swarm.bags.and.bee.veils.

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 9

Parul Pawar, Beekeeper, Dangs

district, Gujarat

Parulben. Pawar. is. a. -26year. old.

beekeeper. from. Dangs. district. of.

Gujarat..A.Higher.Secondary.School.

graduate,. her. primary. occupation.

is. subsistence. agriculture. reliant. on.

rainfall..

Parul feels proud to work with the women in her community, to empower

them with a skill that will bring multiple benefits. “This is an activity that

can be done by any woman”,.she.says..

Parul.has.seen.for.herself.the.difference.bees.have.made.to.her.farm.produce..

Brinjal. and. tomato.are.bigger. in. size.as.compared. to. the.harvests.before..

Production. doubled. for. most. crops,. providing. her. family. with. more. grain,.

pulses.and.vegetables.

In. September. 2014,. UTMT. visited.

her.village. to. introduce.beekeeping..

Initially. very. apprehensive. at. the.

idea. of. boxing. bees,. Parul. attended.

the. trainings. and. after. a. year. not.

only. owns. 3. bee-boxes. but. is. also.

appointed.as.junior.Master.Trainer.for.

her.commitment.and.skill..What.sets.

Parul. apart. is. her. ability. to. conduct.

Natural.Colony.Transfers.(NCTs).-.the.

technique. of. transferring. bees. from.

the. wild. into. a. bee-box..

Crops Before beekeeping After beekeeping Increased economic value (Rs)Proso millet 40 kg 80 kg 1,000

Blackgram 20 kg 40 kg 3,000

Pigeonpea 10 kg 20 kg 1,200

Brinjal 30 kg 45 kg 300

Tomato 10 kg 30 kg 200

Flatbeans 15 kg 40 kg 500

TOTAL 6,200

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 201610

MAHARASHTRA

The. Maharashtra. programme. operates. in. the. districts. of. Nasik,. Dhule,.

Ahmednagar. and. Palghar..

500.women.from.Women’s.Self.Help.Groups.in.Dhule.district.were.trained.in.

beekeeping.as.part.of.the.pilot.project.with.the.National Bank for Agriculture

and Rural Development (NABARD).. Fifteen. women. Master. Trainers. learnt.

techniques. of. regularly. monitoring. the. status. of. bee. –. boxes. at. the. local.

level..These.MTs.are.capable.of.conducting.Natural.Colony.Transfers,.Colony.

division,.honey.extraction.and.seasonal.maintenance..

With. support. from. the. Tata Power Community Development Trust Fund.

beekeepers. in. Kadachimet. village. in. Palghar. experienced. an. increase. in.

crop.yields.and.also.mentioned.that.fruit.trees.bore.more.fruits.than.before.

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 11

a. result.of.bee.pollination..This.year.

UTMT.added.23.women.beekeepers.

in.the.program.and.provided.regular.

handholding.support.for.58.farmers.

In. Peth,. Nashik. regular. handholding.

support.was.provided.to.70.farmers.

under. the. project. supported. by. Dr

and Mrs S.H.M Modi Hormus House

Benevolence Trust.. Beekeepers.

experienced. increase. in. agricultural.

productivity.by.%22.to.%66.for.crops.

like. French. beans,. cashew,. bottle.

gourd.and.mango.with.a.cumulative.

increased. income. amounting. to. Rs.

1,47,000.

Ten. staff. members. of. the.

Comprehensive Rural Health Project

were. trained. in. beekeeping. in.

Jamkhed. block. of. Ahmednagar..

Advanced. skill. building. sessions.

were.conducted.for.two.beekeeping.

Master. Trainers..

A Training of Trainers. was. also.

undertaken. for. Shramjeevi. Janata.

Sahayyak. Mandal. (SJSM),. Satara,.

on. the. initiative. of. the. CSR. arm. of.

ITC.. Under. this. program. 28. farmers.

from. four. villages. were. trained. as.

beekeepers.. Advanced. training. was.

provided. to. 6. Master. Trainers. at.

UTMT’s.Beekeeping.Resource.Centre.

in. Gujarat...

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 201612

Key outcomes in Maharashtra:Beeboxes:. Local. carpenters. in. Maharashtra. earned. Rs. 50,000. by. making.beeboxes

Beekeeping inputs:. Local. women. Self. Help. Groups. in. Dhule. and. Nashik.earned.an.additional.income.of.Rs.25,000.by.making.beekeeping.inputs.like.swarm.bags.and.bee.veils..

Beekeeping Resource Centre:.The.Beekeeping.Resource.Centre.in.Dhule.has.developed.as.a.hub.for.providing.information.on.beekeeping.by.conducting.trainings.and.meetings..

Colony rearing:.New.Techniques.were.experimented.with.in.Colony.rearing..The.cup.cell.and.zigzag.method.were.introduced.to.multiply.the.number.of.bee.boxes..

CommCare:.The.team.made.good.progress.with.the.beekeeping.app.on.the.open. source. CommCare. system. to. help. reporting. and. MIS. -. 600. farmers.were.registered,.the.status.of.their.bee.boxes.monitored.through.the.app.and.reports.were.generated.twice.a.month..This.helped.better.monitoring.of.the.field.level.boxes..

Omna Mauchi, Beekeeper, Dhule district, MaharashtraOmnatai,. 39,. also. from.Mauchipada.village,. is. another. rising. star. from.her.batch.of.trainees..She.was.inducted.in.January.2015.as.a.beekeeping.Master.Trainer,.a.year.after.her.first.training.

Omnatai. had. never. heard. of. beekeeping. in. boxes. before. UTMT. arrived..However,. what. distinguished. her. from. fellow. trainees. was. her. advanced.familiarity.with.bees,. she.having.practiced.honey.hunting.of. the.wild.Apis.florea.bee.with.her.family.from.a.young.age..It.is.this.inherent.fearlessness.

Crops Before beekeeping After beekeeping Increased economic value (Rs)

Mango 20 kg 50 kg 750

Chillies 18 kg 20 kg 80

Brinjal 45 kg 50 kg 50

Red lentil 30 kg 50 kg 700

Chickpea 40 kg 50 kg 300

Total 1,880

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 13

that.served.her.well.when.learning.the.Natural.Colony.Transfer.(NCT).process.of. transferring. indigenous.Apis.cerana. indica.bees. from.nature. into.a.bee.box..Very. soon.she.was.successful. in. transferring.bees. into.bee.boxes. -.a.great.achievement.as.this.is.a.much.specialised.technique.that.usually.takes.new.trainees.weeks. to. learn..

Omnatai.enjoys.conducting.NCTs.Vimaltai,.a.fellow.trainee..She.does.not.feel.that.the.activity.is.difficult;.it.just.takes.time.and.patience..“My best experience is filling bees into bee boxes. If someone finds bees, I leave everything at home, even if I haven’t cooked, and rush there. My husband and children do not mind. Sometimes, I wake up at 4 am, to cook and keep things at home ready, before leaving. It is not too tough to manage housework, farm work and beekeeping”.shares.the.enthusiastic.beekeeper..

She.perceives.the.increased.yields.of.chillies,.chickpea.and.mango.on.her.1.5.acre.farm,.to.be.the.biggest.benefit.from.beekeeping..With.the.supplementary.income.obtained.from.these.she.hopes.to.spend.for.her.children’s.needs.and.for.purchasing.food..

Omnatai.has.had.her. fair. share.of.sceptics.. “Some.people.say. ‘Bees.sting,.why.do.you.want.to.do.this?’.I.tell.them,.‘I.am.interested,.that’s.why.’”Omnatai.hopes.to.expand.her.number.of.bee.boxes,.even.willing.to. invest.personal.funds.if.needed..

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 201614

MADHYA PRADESH

UTMT.is.the.technical.support.partner.in.beekeeping.to.Reliance.Foundation’s.

(RF). Bij. programme. in. the. state.. In. partnership. with. RF,. we. trained. 270.

new.farmers.in.Seoni,.Chindwara,.Panna.and.Mandla.districts..Hand.holding.

support.to.farmers.in.Khurai.and.Seoni.blocks.who.were.trained.the.previous.

year.continued..

The key highlights of the programme were:

Beekeeping inputs:.Tailoring.workshops.were.conducted.for.12.women.from.

an.SHG.to.make.beekeeping.inputs.like.swarm.bags.and.bee.veils..4.carpenters.

were.also.trained.in.Seoni.for.making.wooden.beeboxes..

Beekeeping Master Trainers:. 12. local. Master. Trainers. were. developed. to.

provide. technical. support. in. Seoni. and. Chindwara. districts..

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 15

Divarsi Dhurve– Beekeeper, 45,

Amadana (Jamai), Chhindwara

Before.attending.UTMT’s.beekeeping.

training. sessions. the. importance. of.

bees. as. pollinators. was. unknown.

to. Divarsi. Dhurve. an. enthusiastic.

beekeeper. from. Chindwara. district..

By. taking. up. beekeeping. he. has.

experienced. an. increase. in. yield.

for. crops. like. corn,. ladies. finger.

and. sponge. gourd. earning. him. an.

additional. income. of. Rs. 4,750.

He.now.plans.to.increase.the.number.

of. bee-boxes. and. place. them. in. his.

farm.in.order.to.increase.agricultural.

yields. through. bee-pollination...

Crops Before beekeeping After beekeeping Increase in Income

Corn 400 kg 500 kg 1400

Soyabean 30 kg 45 kg

Ladies Finger 90 kg 100 kg 1600

Bitter Gourd 60 kg 80 kg -

Sponge gourd 80 kg 100 kg 1750

Chillies 135 kg 200 kg -

Total 4750

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 201616

INNOVATIONS

We. piloted. two. key. innovations. in. Maharashtra. and. Gujarat. that. yielded.

encouraging. results:.

· Low cost mud hives: .In.order.to.reduce.the.cost.of.beeboxes,.low.cost.mud.

hives.and.wall.hives.were.introduced.in.both.states..Women.beekeepers.

from.Dhule.took.this.innovation.one.step.further.by.making.moveable.mud.

hives.

· Working with two more indigenous bee species:.Apis.florea.and.Trigona:.

A.group.of.technical.staff.learned.techniques.of.managing.these.varities.

of.bees..Field.trials.were.initiated.in.2.villages,.with.learnings.shared.across.

states.

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 17

New Model Conceptualisation:

One. of. the. key. takeaways. of. our.

five. years. of. work. was. establishing.

the. usefulness. of. beekeeping. as. an.

agricultural.input.to.small.farmers..A.

number. of. internal. discussions. and.

brainstorming. sessions. were. held.

facilitated.by.our.Board.member,.Mr.

Amitabh. Mall,. to. make. the. model.

more. impactful.. One. key. strand.

identified. was. the. provision. of.

pollination. services. to. farmers. in.

their. own. and. neighbouring. villages..

by. beekeepers.. A. team. of. BCG.

volunteers.and.UTMT’s.team.lead.by.

Shylaja.Nair,.Director,.Monitoring.and.

Evaluation. worked. intensively. from.

July. –.December.2016. to.arrive. two.

variants. of. a. new. model.. These. will.

be. piloted. in. 2016-17.

· Some technical innovations tried this year were:

· New.methods.of.box.filling. like.division.using.nuclear.hive.(nuclear.

hive. is.also.used.to.help.small.colonies.maintain. temperature).

· Dividing.one.natural.colony.into.2.or.more.boxes.during.Natural.Colony.

Transfer.(NCT)..3.beeboxes.were.filled.from.one.natural.colony.in.Moti.

koshbadi.village.in.Gujarat.

· Using cow urine (gaumutra) in bee boxes to control wax moth infestation:

Wax.moths.are.a.known.enemy.of.bees.leading.to.absconding..The.use.

of.gaumutra.lead.to.good.results–.majority.reported.reduced.wax.moth.

attacks.

· Placing a mix of turmeric and wheat flour.around.the.box.to.control.ant.

attacks.was.also.initiated..

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 201618

VOLUNTEERSAND INTERNS

Richard Wilson, Western Sydney University, AustraliaRichard’s.creative.eye.and.skill.with.the.camera.came.in.handy.at.a.time.when.

we.needed.team.profile.videos..The.outputs.were.a.set.of.engaging.videos.

showcasing.life.at.UTMT.through.the.eyes.of.its.people..Richard.also.created.

valuable.content.for.our.social.media.platforms.

Olivia Vicioso, Mount Holyoke College, U.S.ABased.in.our.new.Bhopal,.Madhya.Pradesh.office,.Olivia.assisted.on.multiple.

tasks.aimed.at.developing.communication.material..Her.outputs.consisted.

of. beekeeper. case. studies. and. videos,. great. photographs. and. impact.

documentation.

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 19

Carly Forcade, Mount Holyoke College, U.S.ACarly.created.6. short.videos.on.our.

new. women. beekeepers. in. Gujarat.

and. Maharashtra,. which. are. used. in.

promos,. on. social. media.. Her. stint.

took. her. to. many. villages. in. the.

twostates.where.she.enjoyed.a.taste.

of. rural. life. in. the. monsoons.

Kaitlin Brondum, Institut Catholique de Paris, FranceKaitlin.worked.on.developing.an.internal.reference.manual.for.our.beekeeping.

programme,.detailing.steps.in.programme.implementation.with.inputs.from.

field.staff..The.manual.is.used.as.an.important.orientation.tool.for.new.joinees.

and.others.interested.in.UTMT’s.work.

Madelaine Veronese, Western Sydney University, Australia:With. a. strong. background. in.

branding. and. designing. Madelaine.

was. very. helpful. in. designing. our.

Annual. Report.. She. also. assisted. us.

by.photographing.the.UTMT.running.

contingent. at. the. Mumbai. Marathon.

2016.

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 201620

EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT

RBL car and bike rally to Jawhar block, Palghar district, Maharashtra

A.group.of.25.employees.from.RBL.bank.organised.a.car.and.bike.rally.to.

our.project.in.Jawhar,.Maharashtra..They.enjoyed.trekking.through.streams.

and.rocks.to.reach.a.beebox.on.a.picturesque.hill.farm..Part.of.the.program.

included.a.treasure.hunt.with.questions.on.bees.and.their.importance.in.the.

food.system..Clues.placed.in.select.spots.led.the.first.successful.team.to.a.

“treasure”.–.honey!.The.trip.concluded.with.a.local.village.lunch.prepared.by.

a.women’s.Self.Help.Group..

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 21

Honey stalls at Kotak Mahindra Bank, Nomura, Godrej Industries and IIFL Holdings

For.Diwali,.the.UTMT.team.set.up.honey.

stalls. at. corporate. offices. of. Kotak.

Mahindra.Bank,.Nomura.Services.India.Pvt.

Ltd,.Godrej.Industries.and.IIFL.Holdings.

Ltd..A.percentage.of.the.proceeds.were.

used. to. deliver. beekeeping. training. in.

Gujarat..

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 201622

FUNDRAISINGEVENT

STANDARD CHARTERED MUMBAI MARATHON 2016

This. year. we. received. tremendous.

support. from. an. enthusiastic. RBL

contingent.of.over.100.runners.and.60.

online.donors..With.the.funds.raised.

at. the. Mumbai. Marathon. we. have.

been.able.to.support.1000.marginal.

farmers. across. Gujarat,. Maharashtra.

and. Madhya. Pradesh.

These. farmers.earned.an.additional. income.of.over.2. lakh. rupees. through.

beekeeping..We.have.also.been.able.to.sustain.1000.indigenous.bee.colonies,.

vital.for.pollination.support.in.villages..

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 23

URBANBEEKEEPING

URBAN BEEKEEPING

We.limited.our.urban.beekeeping.activities.in.16-2015.too,.instead.directing.

our.energies.towards.expanding.the.rural.programme..We.did.have.a.handful.

of.beeboxes.on.a.private.farm.in.Alibag,.which.was.later.discontinued.

We’ve.always.loved.talking.to.kids.about.why.bees.matter!.Our.session.with.

Grade.4.and.5.students.of.Cathedral.and.John.Connon.School,.Mumbai.was.no.

exception..Vijaya.Pastala,.Founder.of.UTMT,.led.the.fun.evening,.highlighting.

how. bees. pollinate. crops. through. a. fun. cotton. balls-with-coloured-chalk.

activity.with.the.students.

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 201624

UTMTIN THE MEDIA

During.a.follow-up.visit.to.a.village. in.Hoshangabad.district. in.Madhya.Pradesh,.a.traditional.honey.

hunter-turned-beekeeper. was. extracting. honey. from. his. bee-box.. I. noticed. that. he. was. pleasantly.

smiling..When.I.asked.him.the.reason.behind.his.smile,.he.said,.“I.do.not.need.to.go.deep.in.the.forest.

and.risk.my.life.to.hunt.beehives.anymore..The.bees.in.my.box.go.and.bring.honey.for.me!.I.realised.

then.the.difference.my.work.made,.and.its.contribution.towards.reduced.forest.dependency.for.honey,”.

recounted.Saurabh.Vaity,.Programme.Associate,.Under.The.Mango.Tree.(UTMT).

Vaity.is.one.among.15.UTMT.staff.members,.who.work.in.tribal.pockets.of.11.districts.across.Gujarat,.

Maharashtra.and.Madhya.Pradesh.to.enhance.the.livelihoods.of.marginal.farmers.by.training.them.in.

indigenous.beekeeping.and.thus.improving.their.incomes.through.enhanced.yields.and.honey.

Founded.in.2009.by.Vijaya.Pastala,.a.development.professional.with.over.two.decades.of.experience.

at. the. World. Bank,. KfW. Development. Bank,. European. Commission,. Department. for. International.

Development.and.the.Aga.Khan.Foundation,.UTMT.seeks. to.diversify. livelihoods.and. improve.rural.

incomes. by. promoting. low-cost. indigenous. beekeeping.

Under.The.Mango.Tree,.Saturday.4th.April.2015,.Anirudh.Nair

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 25

A.key.problem.Pastala.initially.confronted.was.that.

small.beekeeping.societies.across.India.produced.

various. flavours. of. honey. that. never. reached.

urban.markets..While. India’s.diverse.flora. led. to.

production. of. various. forms. of. regional. honeys,.

the.urban.consumer.was.only.given.a.single.kind.

of.uniform.tasting.honey..Furthermore,.the.typical.

value. chain. for. agricultural. commodities. –. from.

plough.to.plate.–.is.long,.arduous.and.unprofitable.

as.farmers.often.receive.only.around.25.per.cent.

of.the.retail.price.of.their.produce..As.bees.play.a.

crucial.role.as.pollinators.in.increasing.agricultural.

productivity,.a.powerful.idea.took.shape:.what.if.

farmers.were.trained.to.add.bee.boxes.on.farms.to.

facilitate.cross-pollination.and.were.also.provided.

with.markets.to.sell.the.collected.honey?

UTMT’s.initiatives.are.environmentally.sustainable.

as. the. indigenous. bee. Apis. cerana. indica. is.

locally. available. and. efficiently. pollinates. the.

crops. grown. by. the. farmers.. This. is. known. to.

enhance.agricultural.yields.by.30.to.60.per.cent.

on.an.average.and.promote.crop.diversification,.

thereby. increasing. household. food. security. and.

generating. marketable. surpluses. translating. to.

household. cash. earnings.. In. the. second. year.

after.beekeeping.training,.an.additional.stream.of.

income. from. sale. of. honey. and. beeswax. is. also.

created.

An. important. aspect. of. UTMT’s. work. is. their.

partnerships.with.NGOs.who.already.have.a.field.

presence. in. target. areas.. This. enables. access.

to. the. local. community. and. better. community.

mobilisation..A.few.partners.include.the.National.

Bank.for.Agriculture.and.Rural.Development,.BAIF.

Development. Research. Foundation,. Watershed.

Organisation. Trust,. Vrutti,. Gujarat. Livelihood.

Promotion. Company,. Indian. Grameen. Services,.

and. Aga. Khan. Rural. Support. Programme.

Bees. are. dying. the. world. over. due. to. various.

factors,.one.of.them.being.the.use.of.insecticides.

called. neonicotinoids. that. are. banned. in. the.

European.Union,.but.continue.to.be.used.in.India..

Scientists. estimate. that. globally,. the. survival. of.

over.80.per.cent.of.plant.species.depends.directly.

on. pollinating. insects,. and. more. specifically.

on. bees.. Four. of. the. main. food. groups. on. our.

plate.–.fruits,.vegetables,.pulses,.oilseeds.–.need.

bees. for. pollination.. Because. they. are. sensitive.

to. their. environment,. bees. are. considered. as.

bio-indicators,. and. a. decline. in. their. population.

is. expected. to. have. a. dramatic. impact. on. our.

biodiversity. and. food. security.. UTMT’s. model.

boosts. the. depleting. bee. population. in. project.

areas,. encourages. bee-friendly. wild. plants. and.

discourages. chemical. farming.

UTMT’s. beekeeping. model. has. received.

recognition. from. respected. institutions. in. the.

development.sphere.–.a.key.highlight.was.when.

it.won.the.World.Bank.Development.Marketplace.

Award.in.2013,.an.award.given.to.the.most.scalable.

rural. development. innovation,. which. helped. to.

expand.their.operations.in.Madhya.Pradesh..More.

recently.in.February.2015,.they.were.selected.for.

the.Social.Innovation.Acceleration.Programme.of.

the.Marico. Innovation.Foundation. that. identifies.

social. enterprises. with. potential. for. large. scale.

social. impact. and. helps. them. scale. up. in. a.

sustainable. manner.

Over. 3,000. farmers. have. been. trained. in.

beekeeping.by.UTMT.in.the.three.states.since.it.was.

founded,.apart. from. the.addition.of.beekeeping.

to. the. livelihoods. of. women. self-help. groups.

from.2014..“One.of.my.most.enduring.memories.

is.that.of.Somabhai.Mura,.a.marginal.farmer.from.

Dandwal. village. in. Valsad. district. of. Gujarat.. He.

had.told.us.about.how.when.he.was.a.child,.they.

would. extract. honey. from. hives. by. squeezing.

them.and.use.the.combs.to.make.a.very.nutritious.

bhaji.(side.dish)..Today,.his.village.has.close.to.60.

bee-boxes,.where.villagers.understand.the.crucial.

role. bees. play. as. pollinators. for. their. crops. and.

most. importantly,. unsustainable. extraction. of.

honey.has.stopped,”.says.Sujana.Krishnamoorthy,.

Executive. Director,. UTMT.

Web.link:.http://www.sanctuaryasia.com/

resources/ngo-profiles/-9922under-the-mango-

tree.html

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FINANCIALSINCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT

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ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 201628

BALANCESHEET

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ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 201630

You can do your bit by gifting:

•. A.bee.veil.and.swarm.bag.made.by.local.women’s.Self.Help.Groups:.Rs.300

•. A.bee.box.made.by.local.carpenter.groups:.Rs.1500

•. A.beekeeping.starter.kit:.Rs.3000

•. A.honey.extraction.kit:.Rs.4000

•. A.farmer’s.beekeeping.training.and.practical.hand-holding.for.one.year:..Rs.10,000

For.more.information.please.contact:.christina@underthemangotree.org

We look forward to your continued support, keep buzzing!

GETINVOLVED

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 31

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 - 201632

Under The Mango Tree Society, 2016Contact: utmt.in@gmail.com

A-412, Byculla Service Industries Premises CHSL,

Dadoji Konddeo Cross Marg, Byculla, Mumbai - 400027

Tel.: +91-22-23753110

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