© Kamla-Raj 2012 J Hum Ecol, 39(3): 205-208 (2012) Address for correspondence: Dr. Ramesh Lal Subject Matter Specialist (Entomology) CSK HPKV, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bajaura 175 125, District Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, India Phone and Fax: 01905-287318 (Office) Mobile: 094184-81405 E-mail: rameshkulvi2007@rediffmail.com, rameshkulvi72@gmail.com Impact of Beekeeping Training on Socio-economic Status of Farmers and Rural Youths in Kullu and Mandi Districts of Himachal Pradesh Ramesh Lal, S.D. Sharma, J.K. Sharma, Vinod Sharma and Dhanbir Singh CSK HPKV, Krishi Vigyan Kendra Kullu (Bajaura) 175 125, Himachal Pradesh, India E-mail: rameshkulvi2007@rediffmail.com KEYWORDS Assessment. Beekeeping. Training. Perception. Socio-economic Status. Occupation ABSTRACT The present study was conducted from January 2005 to December 2010 at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bajaura (Kullu, Himachal Pradesh) to assess the impact of beekeeping training programmes. Two hundred twenty- five trainees of different age groups having rural as well as urban background were selected from Kullu and Mandi districts. For the investigations of study, the interview schedule was developed to access the impact of training with respect to need base and theoretical as well as practical aspects. The results of study showed that majority of the trainees (94%) were satisfied with the training programmes as these were conducted according to their needs. More than eighty per cent participants rated the training as excellent whereas 10.8% rated it as very good and another 6.7% rated it good. The majority of the trainees (85.4%) were satisfied with practical part of training whereas 55.8% of the respondents showed their keenness for theoretical approach of trainings. It was also observed that most of the respondents (34.2%) benefitted in term of enhanced self-confidence, followed by more employment opportunities near the home (25.2%), increased income (21.8%) and acquiring new skills (10.2%). The number of beneficiaries at commercial level was very less (8.6 %). Twenty- eight per cent of the respondents showed their eagerness to go for beekeeping for pollination purpose, whereas only twenty per cent evinced their eagerness for honey production as the area was dominated by horticultural crops like apple. All of them strongly agreed that beekeeping had a significant role in increasing the economic and social status of rural communities. INTRODUCTION India is a vast country where more than 80 per cent of the population lives in rural areas. Economy of its people largely depends upon agriculture for livelihood. After independence, government of India launched a massive pro- gramme of rapid industrialization with the aim to integrate rural development. Therefore, special efforts were made to develop various agro-vil- lage- based industries like dairy, fish farming, poultry, sericulture and beekeeping. The task of development of most important beekeeping in- dustry was entrusted to then newly constituted All India Khadi and Village Industries Board which was later reconstituted as “Khadi and Village Industries Commission” (KVIC) in 1956. It was only after the establishment of KVIC at the central level and Khadi and Village Indus- tries Board at the state level that beekeeping industry could receive due attention for its de- velopment through scientific interventions (Ku- mar et al. 2010). Himachal Pradesh (H.P.) offers a vast po- tential for the development of beekeeping as 37.033 square km area is under forest cover rang- ing from Shivalik hills to Greater Himalayas. Bee- keeping has predominant role to play in pollina- tion, honey and wax production. Pollination ben- efits can be evaluated at higher level as com- pared to by products produced by the bees. Honey bees during foraging for pollen and nec- tar from flower of different plant species, en- hance agricultural productivity to the tune of 30-80% annually through cross-pollination (Singh 2007). The modern beekeeping in H.P. was introduced only the year 1934 in Kullu val- ley and in 1936 in Kangra valley. Only Apis cer- ana indica the Indian honey bee was reared in the state until the year 1961 when A. mellifera was introduced in India at Bee Research Sta- tion, Nagrota Bagwan (H.P.). To improve the social, economical, psychological and health status of rural people and their families, Krishi