About Us

Under the Mango Tree Society (UTMTS) founded in 2009 is registered under the Societies Act and the Maharashtra Public Trust Act. UTMT Society promotes beekeeping with indigenous bees like Apis cerana indica and Trigona to increase agricultural productivity and enhance biodiversity, incomes and livelihoods of marginal farmers in India.

Four out of five foods we eat – fruits, vegetables, pulses and oilseeds – require bees for pollination. Honey bees are the most important among all pollinators. Through its work with indigenous bees, UTMT Society seeks to improve biodiversity management and ecosystem services for small holders, a cost effective way to adapt to climate change. This is particularly important for India’s small and marginal farmers, who comprise 86% of India’s farmers.

UTMT Society works in tribal areas in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh in India. As of 2019, we have our presence in 175+ villages spread across 14 districts. UTMT Society’s Bees for Poverty Reduction strategy (BPR) is environmentally sustainable as indigenous bees are locally available and efficiently pollinate crops found in the diversified farming systems of tribal communities. Beekeeping is known to enhance agricultural yields by 30 to 60 percent on an average, thereby increasing household food security and generating surpluses translating to cash earnings. Input costs are low because the bee is locally available and resilient. In the second year after beekeeping training, an additional stream of income is created from sale of honey and beeswax. Since the bees are well adapted to the local environment, they subsist on existing flora without need for migration. Apis cerana and Trigona produce less honey than other bee species like Apis mellifera, but are excellent pollinators.

UTMT Society conducts beekeeping training at the village level, which is followed by handholding support. A local cadre of “Master Trainers” is developed within the village. Additional livelihoods related to beekeeping like bee colony spotting, natural colony transfers, colony rearing, honey and wax aggregation, making of bee-boxes (carpentry) and making of bee veils are created.

Impact

• Increase in agricultural productivity
• Increase in income from selling more fruits and vegetables
• Enhanced and diversified produce improves nutrition for the family
• Income from selling honey and hive produce
• Creation of beekeeping eco-system
• Increased livelihood opportunities
• Reduction in unsustainable honey hunting practices
• Improvement in biodiversity
• Empowerment of women

At UTMT Society, not only are we committed to improving the lives of marginal farmers, but also advancing sustainable community-based beekeeping with indigenous bees. Inspired by the first National Commission on Agriculture’s (1976) recognition of the role of beekeeping in increasing agricultural productivity; we measure the impact of indigenous beekeeping on crop production. Through community outreach programs, advocacy and policy recommendations, UTMT Society reaches out to citizens and policy makers to ensure the well being of our farmers and our ecosystem through beekeeping.