A Short Term Vocational Training: Beekeeping Training to the poor farmers of Rasuwa

Honeybees are an integral part of the human food chain as pollinators of crops. As pollinators, they also have an essential role in maintaining mountain biodiversity and the mountain environment. Beekeeping has contributed to rural development through the centuries by supporting agricultural production and providing honey, wax, and other products for home use and sale. Naukunda Rural Municipality is one of the remote and backwarded part of Rasuwa district where there is the dominance of Tamang ethnicity, one of the resource-poor, marginalized, and vulnerable communities. Beekeeping is one of their traditional skills. Internalizing the existing agroforestry system and forest resources in the region, there is high prospects of beekeeping that can contribute as an alternative source of income to the rural family. The preliminary survey at the different parts of Naukunda Rural Municipalities had shown that there is a good prospect of modern beekeeping in the areas because of good climatic conditions and good year-round availability of bee forage and pasturage. But the farmers are having very poor knowledge and skill in scientific beekeeping techniques. To enhance their skill in modern beekeeping with proper training, Nepal Agroforestry Foundation (NAF) in collaboration with Association for International Solidarity in Asia (ASIA) has organized 5 days of training at Naukunda Rural Municipalities for 60 rural farmers having traditional experience in beekeeping as well as having a keen interest in beekeeping especially focusing the rural women. The training was demonstrative and more participatory with the active participation of the trainees, especially in practical exercises.  The training was followed by material support to the trainees by providing essential beekeeping equipment and live beehives to them to scale up the capacity of resource-poor farmers. The program was able to transfer the technical know-how and skills on developing modern beekeeping at the project area with good prospects of its commercialization as well as upscaling to other parts of Rasuwa in the near future.