Nexus of Good: A vital intervention

Honeybees not only contribute to human health but also play a significant role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Honey and its by-products have been used for medicinal purposes for their antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. Thus, honey bees are not only vital for food security and biodiversity due to their key role in the pollination of plants but also offer a promising livelihood means for the people, especially those living in rural, forest and hilly areas, being a low-investment traditional skill industry. However, with increased urbanisation and the use of chemical fertilisers & pesticides, bees are declining in numbers. Loss of honey bees would not only affect honey and by-products supply but also the food security & biodiversity of our planet. Honeybees potentially contribute towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set by the United Nations and hence are crucial for sustainable development.

According to the report of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), India needs a minimum of 70 lakh honeybee colonies just to pollinate 12 major crops of India. As against this bare need, we have just about 20 to 25 lakh bee colonies in India. Maharashtra needs a minimum of 2.50 lakhs bee colonies and there are 25,000 honeybee colonies only.

Maharashtra State Khadi & Village Industries Board (MSKVIB) is a Statutory Board under the Government of Maharashtra, Industry Department which works as a nodal body to promote beekeeping through its Directorate of Honey at Mahabaleshwar, Satara. It has been implementing schemes for beekeeping activities as a village industry for a long time. However, looking at the fast-declining numbers of honey bees and the significant role of bees in preserving nature and industry, the MSKVIB has come up with a novel concept of "Honey Village" or “Madhache Gaon.”

Under this initiative, special efforts have been made to increase the number of honeybees through bee breeding and bee farming in the region in an integrated manner focusing the village as a unit. It also envisages honey tourism in places like Mahabaleshwar, which are popular tourist destinations, apart from producing pure and standard quality honey in a scientific way. The idea is to establish end-to-end solutions, that is, bee breeding, bee farming, honey and by-products (bee wax, propolis, bee pollen, bee venom, royal jelly etc.) collection, processing, diversification into various other products and their sale from the village itself. This will lead to the restoration of the ecosystem and also establish bee farming along with diversification of honey and its by-products as an independent business with good income returns. Besides, increased crop production with a boost to organic farming will add to the greenery and prosperity of the village.

In a first of its kind, the honey village was inaugurated in Manghar village of Mahabaleshwar taluka of Satara district on 16-05-2022. Now almost all the families living in Manghar village are involved in the bee-keeping business.

“Madhache Gaon" was conceptualised when the Chief Executive Officer of Maharashtra State Khadi & Village Industries Board (MSKVIB), Anshu Sinha visited the Board’s Departmental Directorate of Bee-keeping at Mahabaleshwar in the month of December 2021. During the visit, she outlined the plan for the development of bee-keeping activity in Maharashtra and gave detailed guidelines to implement this concept on a pilot basis in the village of Mahabaleshwar.

D R Patil, Director and the technical team of the Directorate of Bee-keeping Mahabaleshwar, undertook an initial survey of about 8 to 10 villages in Mahabaleshwar Taluka. The criteria for selection are favourable climate and flora, interest and potential for beekeeping, the willingness of the villagers through a resolution of the Gram Sabha for implementing this concept in their village etc., to begin with. Based on these criteria, the village 'Manghar' Taluka Mahabaleshwar, District Satara was selected as a probable Honey Village. A concept note was prepared for implementation through the Collector's Committee formed at the district level with officers from all the related departments like Forest, Tribal Development, Agriculture, Rural Development, Tourism, Skill Development, District Village Industries Officer etc. A Manghar village committee with representatives of the village was formed for proper coordination with the village. Both the district committee and the village committee discussed and planned out various initiatives e.g., visits, plantation drives, orientation and various types of training & workshops ancillary to this initiative e.g., organic honey collection, wax candles and other article-making, lab testing, medicinal plants and their uses, industrial awareness, bee breeding and bee colony multiplication, soft skills in the village through the concerned departments.

Bee-breeding and bee-keeping training was undertaken by the Directorate of Honey and bee boxes and other tools and equipment were distributed under existing schemes. An apiary by the name Madhuban’ has been set up by the villagers who are now doing collective bee farming. The agriculture department conducted the Krishi Kanchan program, distributed seeds to the farmers and gave information about the floral calendar. Training and lecture on the uses of honey and its by-products and the plantation of medicinal plants in the kitchen garden was also imparted.

A museum-cum-information centre is set up and is run by the gram samiti of the villagers. A selfie point on this theme has been made for the tourists. Honey testing lab and exhibition cum sale centre for honey and other related products have been started. Villagers have registered their own brand of honey by the brand name “Madhache Gaon Manghar honey”. The villagers came up with their proposals for setting up small industrial units for the collection and processing of honey and other by-products, wax candles making, tea and snacks points, garage etc. for the tourists under the PMEGP and CMEGP schemes. The beautification of the village with the underlying theme of significance and conservation of honey bees has also been undertaken. The District Planning and Development Committee has also made available adequate funds for the development of the honey village.

Ever since Manghar village was declared as the honey village, the villagers have been working under the guidance of the Directorate to boost bee breeding and beekeeping in the area and almost all the households have been trained and have taken up one or other activity related to bee farming. A good number of tourists have been visiting the village and the villagers proudly explain the significance of the honeybees and also a hands-on demonstration of the collection, processing and testing of the honey is given to the tourists. The production of honey and the income from the sale of the pure and standard ‘Madhache Gaon Manghar honey’ has been fetching good returns. Other honey-related products like honey candies, cookies, soaps, cosmetics, medicines, candles etc. are also being experimented with. Honey tourism is also bringing good income to the villagers with new avenues opened for businesses that have stopped the migration of villagers to urban areas for work.

What has happened under the able leadership of this young IAS officer, Anshu Sinha and her committed team in Mahabaleshwar is a wonderful example of Nexus of Good. The model can and should be replicated and scaled.

Views expressed are personal