Back to news
28 Feb 2016 | Himalica

Beekeeping Makes for Better Lives Nepal

1 min Read

70% Complete

Beekeeping is an income generating option in several areas across HKH region. A group of experts from the Initiative International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development’s (ICIMOD) Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation in the Himalayas (Himalica) and Environment Conservation and Development Forum (ECDF) made a field visit to Himalica pilot site in Taplejung to assess the feasibility of developing a viable beekeeping enterprise as a source of income diversification for enhanced resilience of people in pilot villages.

The findings revealed that beekeeping is a common practice in pilot households with more than one-third having 2-20 colonies of the Apis cerana in traditional fixed comb log and wall hives producing from 5 to 50 kg of honey each. The area has bee flora necessary for honeybees to thrive;  Leucosceptrum canum (bhusure or gurmis), Eurya accuminata (wild osmanthus), Englehardtia spicata (bandre), and Prunus cerasoides (wild cherry) are the main sources of honey which form the basis for the development of beekeeping enterprise.

But the harvesting method of squeezing combs by hand results in low yield and poor quality. Traditional harvesting methods also kill some brood and adult bees, leading to a decline in colony strength. The small quantities of honey harvested by individual beekeepers is sold locally and not able to enter the mainstream market. There is a need to improve the quality of honey through introducing modern bee management techniques and equipment.

There is a great need to develop community-based beekeeping enterprise in the area. Not only will further development help farmers earn cash income through sale of honey and other bee products, but pollination for production of various crops, particularly cash crops like cardamom, and will lead to an improvement in productivity, maintenance of biodiversity, helping farmers adapt to climate and other changes. Beekeeping and large cardamom are mutually beneficial — large cardamom provides food for bees and in turn bees provide pollination services necessary for production of large cardamom capsules.

As a result of the study, further training and technical/financial support for youth, women and farmers in the pilot villages will be provided jointly by ICIMOD and ECDF. Further need-based trainings and technical and follow up support will be provided in the village itself.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Related content

Continue exploring this topic

22 Apr 2015 News
Differential GPS training in Kathmandu Nepal

  Thirteen participants from Nepal attended a one day training on differential GPS training organised by the Cryosphere Initiative of the ...

11 May 2016 KSL
Kailash Nepal Chapter Launches Brand ‘Kailash – Truly Sacred’

[caption id="attachment_8392" align="aligncenter"] Minister Industry, Som Prasad Pandey at Kailash brand LaunchPhoto: ...

Regional workshop discusses application of future climate projections in South Asia

The regional workshop, organized by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the Met Office, the UK’s national ...

Enhancing Data Compilation and Management Skills

A two-day regional orientation on data compilation and management was organized at ICIMOD on 5-6 April 2016. About 15 participants, ...

6 Apr 2022 News
ICIMOD and Nepal Mountaineering Association embark on a partnership for mountains

Kathmandu, 5 April: A memorandum of understanding was signed between the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development and Nepal Mountaineering ...

25 Jul 2019 Cryosphere
Sediment management for sustainable hydropower development in Nepal

Hydropower generation is a viable base upon which economies could flourish in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, but excessive ...

14 Dec 2015 News
Expanding Efforts to Revive Koshi’s Drying Springs and Ponds

  Local community leaders from village development committees (VDCs) gathered  2 Decem-ber 2015 in Bhakunde Besi, Kavre for a one day ...

3 Mar 2017 Himalica
Micro-planning Workshop Organized for Gups and Gewog Administrative Officers in Tsirang, Bhutan

The Support to Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation in the Himalaya (Himalica) programme, in partnership with the