Bees for Development Journal 106
Publications from ICIMOD Quality assurance for the honey trade in the Hindu Kush Himalaya Region Uma Partap, Min B Gurung and Surendra R Joshi 2012 50 pages The countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region produce more than 20% of all honey sold worldwide. However many producers in the region have limited access to markets in developed countries, and face difficulty meeting stringent trade requirements. This publication provides information on the standards needed for trade in the HKH and international markets and is especially focused on the needs of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. China and India already have established honey quality assurance systems.
Value of insect pollinators to Himalayan agricultural economies Uma Partap, Tej Partap, Harish K Sharma, Pushkin Phartiyal, Aungsathwi Marma, Nar B Tamang, Tan Ken and Muhammad Siddique Munawar 2012 55 pages This study assesses the economic value of pollination services to agriculture in areas of the HKH region using the FAO array of crop categories*. The economic value of insect pollination for the crops and areas covered by the study (the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Chinese Himalayan provinces, Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir - north-western Indian Himalayas, Uttarakhand - central Indian Himalayas, and the Himalayan region of Pakistan) is estimated at US$2.7 (€2) billion annually. The study considers the vulnerability of different crop categories to pollinator decline and concludes that the countries of the HKH must include provisions for management and conservation of pollinators as a part of their agricultural policies, together with plans to improve the food security and livelihoods of mountain farmers. * Methodology provided by Gallai and Vaissière in 2009 based on the hypothesis that the economic impact of pollinators on agricultural output is measurable through the use of dependence ratios that quantify the impact of a lack of insect pollinators on crop production value. It also looks at the vulnerability of different crop categories to pollinator decline. These publications are available on line at www.icimod.org/publications ICIMOD have kindly donated several printed copies for distribution in BfD resource boxes (see page 20) to recipients living in Asia.
If you are on Facebook remember to ‘like’ BfD! 19
