Empowering women through beekeeping: The Humble Bee’s ambitious approach

By Jason Liaw, IFPRI intern. Top photo credit Varun Kashyap.

Imagine a world where women beekeepers in remote villages can access real-time advice and support through their mobile phones, using AI-driven apps to manage their hives more effectively. Thanks to recent work by innovators at Women for Bees, this vision is quickly materializing in India.

Women for Bees promotes sustainable beekeeping practices, technological innovation, women's empowerment, and community resilience. Last year, Women for Bees (also known as The Humble Bee) was selected as an ICTforAg Inspire Challenger for empowering women in rural areas through beekeeping, with financial support from USAID through Feed the Future and the Gender, Climate Change, and Nutrition Integration Initiative (GCAN).

I recently had the opportunity to discuss the integration of technology in beekeeping, the challenges and rewards of leading a social enterprise, and the vision for the future of sustainable agriculture with Varun Kashyap, the co-founder of Women for Bees. Kashyap provided a detailed explanation of their approach to measuring impact and the metrics they consider crucial for success.

"Today we are working across six states in India. We have established connections with several NGO partners, reaching approximately 1,500 beekeepers and 15,000 beehives. We have realized that capacity building and access to credit are not sufficient to achieve sustainable income; with sustainable incomes really being our North Star metric," said Kashyap.

Technological integration

Under the mantra of sustainability through technology, Women for Bees has developed a comprehensive and equitable solution stack for beekeepers, incorporating AI-driven decision support and accessibility features. Their flagship app, Aditi, provides beekeepers with vital information on hive management, disease control, and optimal harvesting times. The mobile interface has been designed to particularly cater to women beekeepers, offering them an easy-to-use platform in their vernacular languages.

The National Family Health Survey 2019-2020 (NFHS-5) reports that only 28% of rural women in India have ever used the internet, compared to 41% of rural men. To mitigate this, the company establishes communal smartphone access points and provides community-based training on the use of these devices. Additionally, by integrating offline functionalities in their app, they allow beekeepers access to vital information without needing constant internet connectivity. This technological integration bridges the gap between traditional practices and modern efficiency, making beekeeping more accessible and profitable for women. Through the Lakhpati Kisan program, backed by one of the oldest philanthropic institutions in India, the program aims to enable women farmers to earn 100,000 rupees annually from beekeeping alone.

Continuous support

Supporting women's empowerment goes beyond providing tools; it also involves providing continuous support and enabling market access. Women for Bees ensures that women beekeepers are not left to fend for themselves after initial training that covers hive construction, beekeeping practices, and app onboarding. They recognize that continued mentorship and access to resources are essential for long-term success. Using an AI-based chatbot, beekeepers can ask questions and receive instant responses in their native language. The chatbot is also specifically trained on common beekeeping tasks. Kashyap affirms that "The idea was that once the beekeepers are trained and they are there in the field, they should be able to ask any question, anytime."

Beyond digital challenges, rural women often face a lack of public transport options and often need to rely on male family members for mobility. By establishing Central Facility Units (CFCs) in strategic locations, Women for Bees provides the physical infrastructure to enable rural farmers to process and sell their honey without needing to travel long distances, thereby overcoming mobility constraints and promoting economic independence. Moreover, these facilities provide essential resources to beekeepers post-harvest. As stressed by Kashyap, "These CFCs are extremely important because they give the community the confidence that there is a physical infrastructure where they can come and sell their honey to distributors or have it collected and stored, processed and even tested at a basic level.

Women's empowerment

Women for Bees's initiatives are deeply rooted in community and women's empowerment. By working closely with local self-help groups and leveraging partnerships with organizations like the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), training sessions often turn into larger community events. In May, they led a training program in Chandigarh, India, training 83 women in hands-on mud hive construction.

Women beekeepers constructing mud hives as a part of hands-on training session. Photo: Varun Kashyap

Humble vision 2030

The company plans to be even busier than the bees it supports: by 2027, it aims to engage 100,000 women beekeepers. Even more ambitious, by 2030, the company plans to enable 10 million microentrepreneurs across various value chains, with beekeeping being a cornerstone of this vision.

Let's Endorse, the umbrella organization for Women for Bees, is driving a mass micro-nano enterprise movement aimed at creating as many micro-entrepreneurs in India as possible. As noted by Kashyap, "We leverage a lot of technology. In addition to capacity building and access to credit, we offer future microentrepreneurs continuous handholding and market linkage support. The whole idea is 'How do we build a self-sustaining model where we continue to add value to the micro entrepreneurs while not being dependent on grants?'"

Women for Bees is a prime example of how technology and community engagement can evolve an industry. More importantly, they are opening doors to a future where women in agriculture are equipped with the tools, knowledge, and support they need to thrive.

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