There’s more to Meet Joshi than just being a certified beekeeper. Based in Gujarat, India, he is a sustainability strategist and passionate advocate for honey bee conservation. He is on a mission to enhance India’s environmental sustainability and agricultural productivity through innovative beekeeping practices.
So, how did this journey begin? After graduating with a degree in Commerce, Joshi worked with different organisations from 2009 to 2016. During that time, he would get mangoes from a friend’s farm in Valsad and sell them in Ahmedabad. Once, a friend told him that he had 300 kgs of honey procured from his farm and that Joshi could sell it. He thought of this as a great opportunity.
“I sold the honey to a Vadodara-based organic food company and immediately received a cheque for a very good amount. I was so happy that I resigned from my job immediately to start my own business. But then there was a twist in my story. The cheque bounced, and I could never recover the money for that huge order. I was disheartened but determined to move forward.”
He adds, “From my friend, I learned about beekeeping, and that got me really hooked. I learned from professional beekeepers in Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab, Bihar, and the Seven Sisters in the North-East. I learned the difference between ethical beekeeping and commercial beekeeping. The more I learned about the fascinating world of bees, the more I felt deeply about their relevance to our ecosystem. I learned a lot from the people in Sundarban, and it made me curious. That interest led me to do a course at Pune’s Central Bee Research Institute, and I became a certified beekeeper.”
In 2016, Joshi started Sah Astitva to pursue his passion for sustainability and ethical beekeeping. As he delved deeper into the science of beekeeping for the ethical production of honey, he realised that the unfortunate state of beehives is alarming. These honeybees are domesticated in hives prone to diseases
Talking about the initial days of his journey, he says, “India has 19.34 lakh plus bee colonies totaling 9760 crore plus domesticated bees. My focus was to promote sustainability, healthy beekeeping, and a connection with both the farmers and buyers. We wanted to help the farmers in beekeeping as pollination is essential for the survival of the ecosystem and food production.”
Taking a unique step forward, Joshi’s start-up pioneered Project Adopt a Queen. Project Adopt A Queen aims to facilitate the Indian beekeeping industry and its partners with technology-based solutions and a long-term objective of making this industry organised and inclusive.
Explaining the philosophy behind the project, he says, “I have always believed that community participation is the answer to sustainability. As part of our project, an individual can adopt a beehive, and our model is based on the beautiful art of giving and receiving. Each hive with a Project Adopt a Queen nameplate is a testament to the impactful step taken by the individual for the honeybees and India’s ecosystem. That makes our journey so fulfilling and meaningful.
“Each adopter, with their adoption, gets lifetime community produce access, which is powered by equity and executed by unadulterated, ethical practices. For most people in India, bees are only identified with stings. We want to break that myth and create awareness about the importance of bees in ensuring our food production, sustainable growth, and a healthy environment.”
Joshi’s organisation is working towards focusing on a “fair trade policy that ensures farmers get paid more and get an equitable market share.” Explaining further, he says, “Our priority is to make sure our agri-heroes get paid for the hours they put in and promote their sustainable practices. By using cutting-edge technology, we want to make an impact on all farm produce impacted by bees, reduce the use of pesticide-driven farming, and build bee-friendly landscapes.”
Asked about his learnings in the last eight years of working with bees, farmers, and the community, he says, “I don’t even know where to begin. From an aggressive fast bowler, I have become a more gentle and humble person. Nature has taught me to treat life around me with a sense of kindness and gentleness. As my work takes me to rural India, I feel more connected with life.
“I am also amazed to see the diversity of knowledge ordinary people possess in India. It has been a great learning experience. My work has also taught me to be a minimalist regarding the consumption of natural resources. I am very mindful of how much water I use in my daily life.”
As part of their project to create awareness, Joshi and his team members are working with school children in Ahmedabad. Talking about it, he says, “It is wonderful to share our knowledge and experience with children. They are very receptive and open to learning about their environment. Unlike adults, children see bees as their friends, and that makes the interactions and live demonstrations more fun and engaging.”
Looking ahead, Joshi plans to raise awareness about India’s bee populations through initiatives such as the Honey Bees Festival, farm visits, honey festivals, and hopefully a Bees Museum.
(Deepika Sahu has been a journalist for 29 years and has worked with some of India’s leading media houses. She is currently independently engaged in content creation and curation. Reach out to her on Twitter: @menondeepika, Instagram: @moodydeepika, Facebook: Deepika Sahu)
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