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The countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region produce more than 20% of all honey sold worldwide
. Honey is an important source of income, nutrition, and medicine for mountain communities, and with growing demand for honey in developed countries and increasing prices, high-quality mountain honey offers excellent potential for export. However, producers in the region have limited access to the lucrative markets in developed countries, as most of the honey produced does not meet the stringent trade requirements. This publication provides information on the standards and good practices needed for trade in international markets as well as within the HKH, with an additional focus on requirements for organic honey. It is designed primarily to help government agencies, policy makers and planners, and ICIMOD’s partner institutions in the HKH region to establish and implement quality assurance systems in the honey supply chain. The publication will also be of interest to actors in the honey supply chain in the region – the beekeepers, input suppliers, honey processors, traders, and support organizations (government and non-governmental and private sector organizations) that are responsible for maintaining the quality of honey at all stages of production, collection, processing, and distribution. The publication is especially focused on the needs of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan, as India and China already have honey quality assurance systems in place
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Beekeeping can play an important role in rural development activities, both directly by providing products for household consumption and income from sale of honey and other bee products, and indirectly as an important source of pollinators to improve productivity especially of horticultural crops
. This generously illustrated booklet describes some of the benefits of beekeeping, especially for the rural poor and marginalised groups in the extended Himalayan region. It also discusses beekeeping's contribution to resource and biodiversity conservation, and looks briefly at the challenges involved in marketing and the need to follow a market chain approach to ensure that beekeepers benefit fully from their products. Beekeeping can contribute effectively to the empowerment of disadvantaged people and communities, and makes a multifaceted contribution to rural livelihoods. The booklet closes with recommended approaches to be incorporated in future rural development strategies
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The Himalayan honeybees play an important role in mountain livelihoods and cultures as well as a critical role in pollination
. But they are little understood elements of mountain biodiversity, and there is little concrete information available about indigenous species in the wild. This publication presents the results of a detailed study of the Himalayan cliff bee (Apis laboriosa) and the honey hunter communities associated with it in the high mountain areas of Kaski district in central Nepal. The characteristics of the nesting site cliffs, the local bee flora, and the honey hunting rituals, practices, and methods, are listed and described. The continued existence of this bee is threatened both by changes in habitat and human interference, foreshadowing a loss of indigenous culture and knowledge in the honey hunting communities. The many threats to the bees (whose numbers are declining) and to this traditional system are discussed together with new economic and biological opportunities, and specific recommendations are made
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