Our two 3-year projects in the Ayyalur forest and the Pandiyar mangroves areas, Tamil Nadu, India are transforming the lives of 80 tribal women and their families, but the projects need funding to continue, so please
Progress
Livelihoods as Beekeepers
The happy progress reported here has been made possible by funding largely by Western Digital EMEA and India. BBN, and others have also kindly contributed.
- 80 women beneficiaries were selected from 30 villages by our local partner, Seeds Trust.
- 3 Expert Beekeeping Trainers were employed and given orientation trainings.
- All 80 women were provided with training hives with native Apis Cerana Indica bee colonies (collected from the forest).
- All 80 were provided with equipment for beekeeping and honey production.
- Baseline surveys and flowering plant surveys were conducted around the 30 villages.
Given the distances between the villages and the lack of transport the women could not be taught in a single location, therefore
- Although the women came together at events, they were given trainings per family.
- Supervision was delivered twice a month.
Progress
Conservation and restoration of biodiversity
- Two thousand tree seedlings were grown in a nursery for distribution to the 80 women later in 2022.
- The plants are: Psyzigium (Jam)sp.; Psidium guavajava; Thespesia populnea; Acid Lime (Citrus sinensis); Tamarindus indica (Wrightia tinctoria(pala); Moringa oleifera; Calotropis procera; Pennisetum glaucum.
- The plants will improve local biodiversity and simultaneously enhance nectar and pollen resources for bees and improve wild bee populations in the forest and coastal regions.
Impact
- The quantity of honey harvested in three harvests varied between 2– 6 kilos per training hive.
- Collectively, the 80 women harvested 360 kilos of honey and can sell the honey at the current rate of 800 Indian Rupees per kilo. This is the first step towards their financial independence.
- The women were assisted with honey collection, filtering, and packaging.
- The projects are being enthusiastically received by the 80 beneficiaries, all of whom are now keeping native Apis Cerana Indica bees in 7- frame training hives. They will graduate to using the ‘Standard Indian Hive’ in 2023.
- Before the end of 2022 the 80 women will be given 2,000 plants to plant in their villages.
- The plants will improve local biodiversity and simultaneously enhance nectar and pollen resources and improve wild bee populations in the forest and coastal regions.