The Sweet Impact: How Beekeeping Empowers Rural Communities in Pakistan
Beekeeping has proven to be a profitable business, and beekeepers wear their protective gear, i.e., a mesh head-net, bee jacket, bee suit, and hive tools, to provide us with extremely sweet, beautiful, golden honey.
Empowering rural communities is the only way to achieve sustainable and secure livelihoods. Beekeeping can play an integral role in empowering the poor. Mentoring and imparting knowledge about beekeeping can liberate the people of rural areas while helping them achieve better economic returns for their hard and diligent work.
Beekeeping business was adopted in Pakistan in the early 1980s by some rural communities, and several reports indicated that the overall economic situation improved within the first ten years.
Several rural communities today are also starting their beekeeping business by cultivating bee colonies. Honeybee farming is an income-generating activity that sustains Pakistani rural communities.
Pakistan: A Superior Honey Exporter
Lord has blessed Pakistan with an exceptional climate and biodiversity that is suitable for beekeeping. Provinces like Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit Baltistan have beyond seven hundred bee-flora plants that attract millions of exotic and indigenous honeybees annually.
Pakistan, being the home of four major honeybee species, has 450,000+ colonies that are producing twelve thousand metric tons of honey every year. Climate change and deforestation, although threatening the honeybees, conservation of these pollinators and maintenance of bee flora should be enforced.
The rural areas of these provinces are highly suitable for beekeeping, which can curb unemployment. Women, especially in rural areas, are disadvantaged, and teaching them beekeeping can give them a chance to prosper.
In addition, according to several reports, exportation of Pakistan’s honey upticked, and is distributed to several countries, including the UAE, China, the USA, and Saudi Arabia, because of its superior quality and taste.
However, beekeepers in Pakistan require better marketing strategies and identification cards to increase their exportation of honey. Improving and modifying a few strategies can help reduce unemployment in Pakistan.
A Skill Can Lead to a Profitable Business
Being economically self-reliant is necessary these days, and beekeeping is one of the best skills to learn. Teaching businesses that lead to income generation can help the unemployed earn income for their family.
Honeybee farming is a lucrative business that, upon investing, people can earn up to one lac to one million Pakistani rupees. There are around 300 types of honey; however, in Pakistan, Acacia and Sidr are the most popular types of honey, and Sidr is the most profitable type.
As mentioned earlier, teaching a beekeeping business can sustain families in rural areas because, besides obtaining honey, you also get beeswax, royal jelly, bee pollen, etc., which benefit humans in multiple ways.
Unity and Teamwork – A Lesson From the Bees
Phenomenal companies are built by efficient and high-performing teams, such is the case with honeybees. These tiny winged creatures perform their roles and responsibilities effectively. Their discipline and strong communication hold them together.
They all work in unison to contribute sustenance for the surrounding ecosystem and the hive. So this should be an inspiration for us that if we work together, empower rural communities, and make our policies stronger regarding supporting local honey sellers, we can make a huge difference.
Ending Note
According to a survey in Pakistan, almost 4.5 million people are unemployed, and the highest number are youth. So the former Chairman of the Economics department stated that teaching people about beekeeping can lower the unemployment rates in Pakistan.
Our government is also trying to introduce extensive training programs and provide bee boxes to help people earn better livelihoods. Beekeeping business requires teamwork, and the work life of bees should be your sole inspiration.