People’s Action for Development (PAD) organized a two-day beekeeping training program on November 22-23rd at Bahgora Deori Gaon Panchayat, under the Bihpuria Revenue Circle of Lakhimpur district in Assam. The program was attended by 13 farmers including 4 women, from different villages in the area. Satyapran Mahanta, a member of the Assam Science Technology and Environment Council (ASTEC) led the training program.
The objective of the training was to teach farmers about beekeeping and its benefits. The adoption of beekeeping can be an option for a sustainable livelihood or an additional source of income for a family in a rural area. Beekeeping also helps to promote biodiversity.
“Beekeeping is one of the oldest traditions in India for collecting honey”, Satyapran Mahanta told to the participants. He added, “beekeeping is mainly forest-based, thus the raw materials for production of honey are available from nature that’s free of cost. A bee colony consists of a queen, several drones, thousands of workers and broods which are the eggs, larvae and pupae in different stages of development.” He also explained that the oriental honey bees - Apis cerana - provided mankind with honey and beeswax. Bees provide invaluable services in the pollination of agricultural crops. In the wild, oriental honeybees construct their multiple-comb nests in dark enclosures such as caves, rock cavities and hollow tree trunks. The normal nesting site is in general close to the ground, not more than 4-5 meters high. He explained the importance of bees, their different species and types, and the benefits of beekeeping. He also demonstrated the use of protective equipment such as gloves and headgear and other essential tools like smokers to keep beekeepers safe while working on the hives.
Babalu Pegu, a participant from Kalbari village, said, “the training is extremely helpful for me to look after the honeycomb which I've had in my house in a box for the last two years. It gave me ideas about beekeeping and I will try to adopt scientific methods for beekeeping.”