About NGO:

UTMT's bees for poverty reduction (bpr) strategy seeks to bring together under one umbrella:

- creation and diversification of livelihoods in rural areas by adding low cost beekeeping to farmers' basket of activities
- harness the potential of honeybees to add to agricultural productivity due to their role as efficient pollinators.
- facilitate increased, sustainable market access for primary producers through buyback arrangement for honey and beeswax at premium prices through certification (organic, fair trade).

Fund Usage:

By 2015, UTMT will train 10,000 marginal farmers, creating self sufficient beekeeping clusters in various states across India.

Given this potential, farmer trainings will expand to cover 5,000 farmers in five of the poorest districts in the state of Gujarat; another 2,000 farmers in tribal districts in state of Maharashtra and 1,000 farmers in Orissa and Madhya Pradesh over the next 3 years. Other potential growth areas are the states of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. This will lead to an average increase of income of approx rs 18400 per annum per family in these areas of poverty.

The project will focus on building capacities of 300 local farmers as master trainers who will upscale the activity locally and simultaneously earn Rs 15,000 per annum. In all project areas, training for 100 carpenters and 500 women in production of necessary bee-keeping and honey collection inputs will be undertaken, raising their incomes by approx Rs 13800 per annum.

An institutional structure (possibilities being a farmer-producer company or co-operative) to motivate and sustain support to farmers working with the A. Cerena and network, access markets, infrastructure and finance will also be established.

Total budget: Rs 2 Crores under

Impact:

Bhikare Urade lives in Patilpada, a tribal village in rural Maharashtra, India, where like 75% of India's population, he has been a subsistence farmer making on average, Rs 15,000 per annum for most of his life. He runs a farm and a small shop, making enough for his family of four to live on, without savings or security.

Two years ago, under the mango tree taught him how to use bee-keeping to increase his farm's productivity and income. He now has 20 bee boxes set up across his farm, selling about 100 kilos of honey which increases his annual income by about Rs 10,000 a year. Having honey bees on his farm has also increased productivity of his farm by 40%.

With the extra income, he has set up an savings account for his family, as well as educational savings account for his two children.

Page Url :
http://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/ngo98_utmt.htm

Founded Year: 2009

Cause category: Rural Development

Our Supporters

• Vijaya Pastala
• Emily Paarmann