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.
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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..
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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.
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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
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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.
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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...
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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
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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..
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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..
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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
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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.
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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..
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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.
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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.
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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..
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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..
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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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BALANCESHEET
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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:[email protected]
We look forward to your continued support, keep buzzing!
GETINVOLVED
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Under The Mango Tree Society, 2016Contact: [email protected]
A-412, Byculla Service Industries Premises CHSL,
Dadoji Konddeo Cross Marg, Byculla, Mumbai - 400027
Tel.: +91-22-23753110