Utmt Society

Under The Mango Tree Society (UTMT Society), founded in 2009 by Ms. Vijaya Pastala, is an award winning not-for-profit organization that works in tribal areas of 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. Over the past 11 years, UTMT Society's work has impacted lives in tribal communities. The programme began as a pilot is now being recognized internationally as an innovative way to ensure that indigenous bee population thrives as pollinators, especially bees are critical to biodiversity and local food systems.