Project news from ICIMOD

Farooq Ahmad, Surendra Joshi and Min Gurung

Grassroots sharing through networking

Here we bring you another article with news about the work of the Austrian Government funded beekeeping project at ICIMOD in Kathmandu, Nepal. In BfDJ 67 we described the activities of a local NGO, BEENPRO in Kaski. In this issue we bring you news about ApiNet, the network set up for bee people across Nepal.

The beekeeping community in Nepal has a rich store of practical knowledge and information derived from indigenous beekeeping practices, but until now there has been no easy mechanism for sharing outside neighbourhood groups. ICIMOD's beekeeping project recognised early on how much beekeepers and traders could benefit from more widespread exchange of information, experiences and development of linkages, and that this would also benefit the conservation of indigenous bees. The project team worked with various individuals and organisations involved in beekeeping development and bee conservation through discussions, sharing, more than a dozen selective gatherings, and two countrywide meetings, in a process that led to the creation of the Apiculturists Network - Nepal, now ApiNet-Nepal for short.

The Network was registered in late 2002. At its first major Workshop held in May 2003, the Network brought together beekeepers, honey hunters, traders and development professionals from all over the country to discuss issues related to honeybees, conservation, blossoms, honey and honey markets. Eighty-eight participants representing 60 of Nepal's 75 districts gathered together, supported by ICIMOD's honeybee project team, to share information and experiences. The Acting President of the Federation of the Nepal Chambers of Commerce and Industry inaugurated the meeting and the Director General of Agriculture and members of his team represented the government. The inaugural speeches covered a range of topics; in particular presenters stressed the need to evolve honey standards in line with the Codex Alimentarius to facilitate export. ICIMOD's Director of Programmes offered the Centre's assistance to the Nepalese Government and ApiNet in developing a framework of policies conducive to the beekeeping industry, trade, and export.

Workshop themes

• To expand the knowledge and understanding of beekeeping in Nepal with special emphasis on indigenous honeybee species and prevalent bee business practices.

• To explore the population patterns of the honeybee species, their productivity and honey marketing trends.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Dr Joshi who has received 'The Crown Prince Youth Science and Technology Award' from the Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology for his PhD research. This type of Award is presented to a maximum of five people working in various scientific disciplines every year.

Dr Surendra Joshi (in striped shirt) with beekeeping villagers in Alital, West Nepal. Other ICIMOD team members pictured here are Mr Chet Raj Bhatta, standing fourth from right, and on his right, Mr Satananda Upadhaya.

© Bees for Development

ICIMOD is the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, an international organisation devoted to the development of the Hindu Kush Himalaya region. ICIMOD is located in Kathmandu, Nepal. Read more at www.icimod.org.np

APINET-NEPAL National Workshop 2003

Gopal Prasad Kafle and Mahalaxmi Shrestha, ApiNet-Nepal

Workshop activities

• To gather bee farmers and bee professionals, organisations, experts and scientists and other stake holders in a common forum to mobilise them for interaction.

• To collect species population information from attending ApiNet members.

• To collect species specific production and honey marketing trends.

• To convene an AGM of ApiNet-Nepal and form an executive committee.

ApiNet Executive

Mr Gopal Prasad Kafle - President

Mr A N Shukla - Vice President

Mrs Mahalaxmi Shrestha - Secretary

Mr Bhushanas Shrestha - Treasurer

Mr Dev Bdr Gurung - Member

Mr Khem Ray Naupane - Member

Mr Tej Bdr Bhandari - Member

Mr Karma Budha - Member

Mr Pawan Kumar Satayal - Member

Mr Chet Raj Bhatta - Member

Sharing knowledge among beekeepers

©ICIMOD

Lighting the lamp, Mr Binod Shrestha, Acting President of the Federation of the Nepal Chambers of Commerce and Industry opens the Workshop.

© APINET-NEPAL

Distribution of Apis mellifera

The detailed local knowledge of ApiNet members has already proved useful in substantiating something for which there was previously only anecdotal evidence: the exotic bee Apis mellifera is not suited to the hill regions of Nepal, but thrives in the plains areas (see table right). Most of the colonies known to have been introduced in mid and high hill districts have either disappeared or the numbers have fallen dramatically, whereas in the plains districts the number of colonies has increased up to 300 fold over ten years. These findings support the recommendations of conservation apiculturists for a zonation arrangement in the Himalayas - with promotion of indigenous Apis cerana in the hills and mountains, and restriction of Apis mellifera to plains areas, where there is transport infrastructure and monocultural cropping. A small cross-check of the information by the project team in

Chitwan showed that the beekeepers in this area were indeed harvesting about 80 tonnes of honey per year from Apis mellifera.

* The original article has a table showing changes in the number of Apis mellifera colonies in hill and plains districts in Nepal which is not available on this mobile friendly version