Story | 26 Mar, 2020

Beekeeping Training for Farmers in Sikkim, Eastern Himalaya

On 17 February 2020, IUCN organized a beekeeping training for local farmers of Mamley Kamrang Watershed in South Sikkim in collaboration with State Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (SIRD&PR), Karfectar, Govt. of Sikkim and Village Administrative Centre (VAC) 37th Mamley-Kamrang GPU under National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS) supported project, 'Coping with Uncertainties: Building Community Resilience and Ecosystem Based Adaptation to Climate Change in the Indian Himalayan Region'.

Photo: IUCN India

With an aim to enhance the resilience of Himalayan communities for managing the effects of socioeconomic and climate change, IUCN organized beekeeping programme to train the local farmers on basic scientific beekeeping techniques & methods and also to provide awareness on the importance of beekeeping for proper functioning of ecosystem and as well as a source of rural livelihoods. A total of 25 local farmers learnt beekeeping from different pilot villages in the watershed.

bee, invertebrate, alternate livelihood, india

Photo: IUCN India

During this event, Mr. Bishal Mukhia, representative from SIRD&PR, delivered a talk on the roles and mandates of institute, importance of beekeeping practices for rural community from livelihood perspectives, need of awareness on scientific beekeeping knowledge, especially for rural people and the need of beekeeping practices not only for honey but for multiplication of honeybees as well especially indigenous honeybees namely Apis cerana. Other experts viz. Mr. C.B Manger, Mr. Tara Prasad Sharma and Mr. P.B Rai delivered talks on working structure of honeybees in the colony, the development cycle of honeybees, components of bee hives, bee colony management and equipment needs, honeybees feeds, diseases and pest management, honey extraction techniques in the modern bee box and honey marketing during the first session.

Photo: IUCN India

There was also a practical demonstration by Mr. Tara Prasad Sharma on the modern bee box and its key uses. Experts tried to impart knowledge of bees to local farmers through a short video entitled “Honey Bee: A Social Insects” and “Apiculture: Diseases and Pests”. This was followed by the distribution of modern bee boxes (8+8 frame) to 25 participants. The event ended with the vote of thanks by Mr. Jhony Lepcha, IUCN. It was the participation of all the local farmers, experts and Panchayat representatives for making the event successful.