The buzz is all about bees

In arid Chakwal, honeybees come to the rescue of groundnut farmers.

In the rain-fed district of Chakwal, where the Salt Range hills mark the boundaries of the Potohar Plateau, the beauty of the land is in stark contrast to the plight of those who eke a living from it.

In the last five years, successive crop failures of groundnut, once a dream crop for Chakwal, have plunged farmers into despair. Some are forced to take loans, while others are moving to urban centres in search of jobs. “We are left in great difficulties by the dry spell that persisted during the groundnut growing season, as the majority of us could not reap a good harvest. Many of us have landed in the debt trap”, complains one 61-year old farmer. With little or no savings, these farmers take loans in order to pay for crop inputs and other expenses, and a single bad spell or natural disaster can push them over the edge.

Faced with such arid prospects, one farmer named Ibrahim decided to sweeten the deal by turning to honeybee farming. Now, as he wakes every morning to plow, weed and sow, his honeybees are already at work in a different quarter.

Ibrahim, who cultivates a small plot of three acres, is among the few farmers who have discovered the immense potential of bees and berry trees (Ziziphus) in the region of Chakwal. These amateur apiarists are few in number, but steadily

on the rise. “I am no longer worried if my groundnut crop suffers,” says the farmer turned-beekeeper, while examining the wooden bee-boxes strewn across the plot of land where he cultivates groundnut. “Income from beekeeping has helped me survive crop losses,” he says as his bees busily extract nectar from the berry blossoms,

Ibrahim’s honeybees aren’t the only ones generating a buzz. The farmer himself has turned into a leading pioneer of beekeeping in his small village and more and more farmers are approaching Ibrahim to teach them about the procedures involved in apiary. Working with honeybees — known for their propensity to sting as much as for their discipline and work ethic — is no easy task, and would-be beepkeepers should know, of course, that if you deal with bees you’re almost certainly going to get stung. In fact, many professional apiarists would consider the sting as a trademark of their work, saying that you’re not really a beekeeper unless you’ve been stung at least once. Only with some training and practice can a beekeeper handle his bees into confidence. The potential hazards of beekeeping for an amateur farmer-turned-beekeeper could range from physical harm (and even death if you happen to be allergic to bee stings) to (ultimately) an investment in a failed colony.

So far, Ibrahim has taught as many as twenty-one farmers about beekeeping. “It is heartening for me to see that farmers, who have adopted beekeeping besides growing crops in the area, have sustained last year’s groundnut crop failures thanks to additional income from selling honey in the market,” he says proudly.

The enterprising and newly converted apiarists could not have transitioned into their new trade were it not for the assistance provided by the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP). Between 2008 and 2011, the NRSP launched the ‘Livelihood Enhancement and Protection Project’ (LEPP) in conjunction with the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) where 150 farmers in different villages of the Chakwal district were trained in beekeeping. As a result, many farmers have seen improvements in their lifestyle and have started sending their children back to school.

But beekeeping needs to be more than just a side business, since crop failures are projected to increase in the coming years. According to the UNDP, Pakistan’s agro-based economy is under severe threat from climate change. Glacier melt in the Himalayas is projected to increase flooding over the next two decades, followed by decreased river flows as the glaciers recede. The projected fall in crop yields will then increase the risk of hunger and decrease food security. In the face of these grim prospects, beekeeping has been recognised as a viable climate-resilient alternative, requiring less labour and investment, and yielding high returns. According to Raja Munir Hussain Janjua, the regional programme officer at NRSP: “Alternative livelihood plans like beekeeping can help farming communities adapt to shifting weather patterns and mitigate their impacts on their lives.”

With the onset of autumn in the district of Chakwal, berry trees blossom in abundance, allowing the beekeepers to extract Sidr (berry) honey. For many a honey enthusiast, the Sidr honey is to Pakistan what the famed Manuka honey is to New Zealand. Thanks to its strong medicinal properties, Sidr honey has a large market in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and other Middle Eastern countries.  While honeybee products, especially honey and beeswax, are great sources of nutrition, and medicine, the bees themselves play an even more important role. As crop pollinators, they support agricultural production, forestry, and the maintenance of biodiversity. They also help to combat soil degradation by enhancing the replenishment cycle: more pollination leads to more seed set and plants, and ultimately less soil erosion, less flooding, and a more conducive environment for sustainable living.

Farmers who have successfully utilised the potential offered by bees and berries in Chakwal have seen their incomes soar. Three years ago, Hakim Ali purchased ten wooden boxes of hives for Rs34,000. Today, he owns ninety boxes worth Rs1,020,000.   Zafar Pervez Sabri, a senior expert at PPAF says: “Having seen tangible socio-economic impacts on the lives of farming communities in drought-prone Chakwal district, we have plans to expand these alternative livelihood plans to different parts of Pakistan, particularly Bhawalpur and Tharparkar.”

Beekeeping has yet to receive proper government patronage, but plans seem to be under way. According to, Dr Zafar Iqbal, the chairman of the NDMA, efforts will be taken at the national level to promote climate resilient plans throughout the country.  Such measures on part of the government and non-profit organizations will go a long way in empowering farmers against the impending impact of climate change in Pakistan.

Bee facts:

- The honeybee is not born knowing how to make honey; the younger bees are taught by the more experienced ones

- Honeybees communicate with one another by “dancing” so as to give the direction and distance of flowers

- Honeybees are entirely herbivorous when they forage for nectar and pollen but can cannibalise their own brood when stressed

- A honeybee visits 50 to 100 flowers during a collection trip. The average honey bee will actually make only one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime

- The honeybee has been around for 30 million years

- Four species of honeybees are found in Pakistan. The indigenous species are Apis dorsata, Apis cerana, and Apis florea. The occidental species is Apis mellifera

- Honeybees are vital crop pollinators, but recent research has indicated a mysterious decline in honey-bee colonies.  This could adversely affect global food production

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, February 17^th, 2013.

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