[3] Beekeeping contributes to supporting sustainable livelihoods[4] in poor and remote communities; honey bees provide an essential ecosystem service.

[6] Founded in 1993, Bees for Development works in partnership with beekeepers and international organisations, such as Apimondia, Keystone Foundation,[7] and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

[11] The charity publishes the Bees for Development Journal[12] which focuses on appropriate beekeeping technologies, sharing lessons learnt in different countries worldwide.

This-three-year project was funded under the UK Government-funded Darwin Initiative[17] to study the interdependencies between bees, biodiversity, and forest livelihoods in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve of the Western Ghats, India.

The project was implemented locally by the Keystone Foundation,[18] working in partnership with local indigenous communities and Forest Department staff, and three UK-based partners: Professor Janet Seeley,[19] The School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia; Dr. Nicola Bradbear,[20] Bees for Development; and Professor Simon Potts,[21] The Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, University of Reading.

However, inefficiencies in the supply chain and the low capacity of producers to understand and negotiate markets, means that this activity is not achieving its full potential in bringing income benefits to the poor.