The 2005 earthquake highlighted the vulnerability of remote areas in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Since then, we've supported livelihoods and built resilience for future disasters.
This project turns environmental challenges into opportunities by promoting honey farming, well-suited for the region’s climate. After the earthquake, we saw potential in scaling up local beekeeping.
In 2009, we launched this project with Apis cerana bees, starting with 10 farmers. After a successful trial, we've trained 891 farmers, including 114 women, providing them with hives, training, equipment, and ongoing support.
In just a few years, farmers tripled their hives, with some reaching 40. 90% expanded, creating sustainable livelihoods, starting businesses, and sending children to university.
To date, we've trained 891 farmers (13% women), raised 3,564 hives, and produced 95,000 kg of honey worth £1.5 million. We've also created a training manual and hosted honey exhibitions.
Key Impact: - 3,564 hives, 95,000 kg of honey, £1.5 million in sales - 891 farmers trained, 13% women - 3 days of training, equipment, and 4 hives per farmer
Sustainability: Farmers expand hives and use eco-friendly techniques. We've partnered with NARC for advanced training, ensuring long-term growth for farmers and the environment.
I joined Human Appeal in 2009.
As the Livelihood Program Manager it’s my responsibility to empower families with the skills, tools and support for a sustainable livelihood and income, so that they become self- reliant and can improve their lives. My team and I are involved every step of the way, from identifying which people would benefit most from which project, to implementing the project and assessing the results.
To succeed at honeybee farming, quality training is very important. If farmers lack experience in bee management, their efforts will fail, and they might easily lose all their bees. Entire hives can be wiped out in a matter of hours if there is an outbreak of disease or pest attack. Training is essential to know how to respond if bees ever attack as their sting can be lethal. Our training ensures honeybee farmers succeed and achieve a profitable livelihood. Even years after the training, farmers can access support services from the trainer, including how to manage disease outbreak, insect attacks, honey extraction and extension of their honeybee hives.
Now, after more than 12 years of honeybee farming, the Bagh district is famed for its honey. In fact the region has shaped itself into a cottage industry for honey production and equipment making. For start-up honeybee farms, all required materials can be obtained locally.
Honeybee farming has improved people's lives in remarkable ways. Families can finally own assets like vehicles; some are constructing or expanding their houses; and some are sending their children to colleges and universities. Before this intervention, none of that was possible. Through honeybee farming, some enterprising farmers have opened up consultancies in other parts of Kashmir for those interested in this kind of farming.
We’ve also joined with universities and the Honey Bee Research Institute (HBRI) to expand the project. While working with HBRI, farmers also trained to make by-products with bees. This includes in-demand cosmetic goods, candle-making and collecting royal jelly and pollen - which can all provide an additional source of income during off season periods for our farmers. Additionally, we are working with the Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture in Multan to launch honeybee farming in the Tharparkar district of Sindh, Pakistan. However, in Tharparkar, temperatures can get so hot (122°F) that wax melts, making it impossible for bees to survive in such extreme heat.
To ensure a successful launch of honeybee farming there, we are in the process of designing a hive that can maintain an optimal temperature, despite the heat.
We maintain the cost-effectiveness in a few ways. Firstly, we help people develop professional skills to participate in the local economy. Secondly, through our quality training programmes, we help farmers remain efficient and maximise their resources. And thirdly, because farmers sell their goods directly to the public, they are continuously striving to maintain healthy business reputations and satisfied customers. Moreover, the honeybee association monitors honey quality through training and customer feedback.
“Those who are merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be merciful to those on the earth and the One above the heavens will have mercy upon you.”
Source - Tirmidhi
My name is Shaukat Abbasi, and I live in Sinjar Bathara in Bagh with my wife and seven children.
In order to earn a living and support my family, I went to Lahore in search of work and got a job at a local restaurant, but my income there was not sufficient. I could not provide for my children at that time. Even the house we lived in did not protect us from the rainwater or the snow in winter. If I had continued working in that restaurant, I would not have been able to get my children an education or even get them married. Life would have been very different and challenging compared to what we have now.
When I returned from Lahore, I met a guy named Rashid Gul, and he told me about honeybee farming and the training conducted by Human Appeal.
I received a three-day training course and I was taught the whole method of Honey Bee-keeping and its benefits. Before the training, I had never seen honeybee farming, nor did I know anything about it. After I started honeybee farming, my income grew exponentially, and I got my children an education. With the money from selling honey, I went on to learn the skill of plumbing and started working as a plumber alongside honeybee farming. My life got much better than before.
At this point, I have a total of eight hives from which I extract honey, which produces around 132 pounds. To date, I have earned around 2.5 million to 3 million rupees from honeybee farming.
The people who support Human Appeal in this project, I am very thankful to them. This initiative of Human Appeal is excellent and they should continue with this project as it increases income significantly and many people are enjoying doing this.
With their help, many people are benefiting from it and getting a source of livelihood. People are now more inclined towards honeybee farming and this has also increased their incomes.
Our admin fee enables us to make the most of your mercy
We are a high-performing international relief organization operating in some of the most dangerous, volatile and remote places on earth. To get your mercy delivered to those most in need, we allocate a small portion of each donation towards the custodianship of your merciful donations. A maximum of 12.5% of your Zakat goes to support our admin costs, which covers our monitoring of projects, protection of those we work with and the raising of more funds, helping to keep our projects safe, sustainable and offer the greatest impact. Efficiency and transparency are important hallmarks of how we manage to deliver your mercy and to always make the most of it. That’s why we are diligent in being fully transparent and accountable for every penny we receive from the thousands of generous donors like you.
Charity is a gift, offering endless mercy to those who give, as well as mercy to the vulnerable people who receive it. Our admin fee helps us to get your donation to where you intended it. That’s why we like to think of it as the stamp on the envelope of your mercy. Help us to continue making the most of your mercy and to really make your mercy count.
