While considering the criticality of food production and human livelihood, pollination is a keystone process in both human managed and natural ecosystems. Especially, in agro-ecosystems, pollinators are essential for orchard, horticultural crops and food production and also in the production of seed for many root and fibre crops. More than 75% of the major world crops and 80% of all flowering plant species rely on animal pollinators. Out of the hundred or so animal-pollinated crops which make up most of the world’s food supply, 15% are pollinated by domestic bees, while at least 80% are pollinated by wild bee species. Thus, pollinators are essential for ‘diet diversity, biodiversity, and the maintenance of natural resources.

Beekeeping is an agro-based activity that is being undertaken by smallholder farmers in rural areas as part of the integrated farming system model. Beekeeping supplements not only the farm/crops but also generate employment while ensuring the nutritional intake of the farming families. Though the honeybees are best known for the honey they produce, their economic role in nature is to pollinate hundreds and thousands of flowering plants and assure the setting of seeds and fruits. Unfortunately, modern agricultural practices make small farms a poor habitat (home) for bees and other pollinators due to the predominant monocropping system which often sacrifices the floral diversity and thus diversity of pollinators. Agricultural intensification majorly centred around large-scale, weed-free monocrops and imbalanced fertigation where natural pollinators are quickly eliminated from the landscape due to the unavailability of adequate food and flowering species.

To restore the natural pollinators and small farm biodiversity, many low-cost and no-cost initiatives like installation of bee hotels, beehives, crop diversification with different flowering crops and vegetables were promoted among smallholders through Smallholder Adaptive Farming and Biodiversity Network (SAFBIN) program. Smallholder Adaptive Farming and Biodiversity Network (SAFBIN) program is jointly supported by Caritas Switzerland and Caritas Austria and implemented by Caritas India through her implementing partner Manav Vikas Seva Sangh and Jabalpur Diocesan Social Service Societies in Mandla, Sagar and Vidisha districts of Madhya Pradesh, India. While restoring the plant and crop diversity within the small farms helped improve habitat for natural pollinators.

Kaluram a smallholder of Olinja village of Vidisha district lives with his family. Having 2 acres of land with a rainfed farming system has not so easy to meet their annual food requirement. He was among others having followed the conventional system of farming with high external dependency. He found that agriculture is no more a profitable means rather making him vulnerable gradually due to high dependency on external sources for input supply.

He was identified by the community to be a member of smallholder farmers collectives (SHFC) formed with the help of the SAFBIN program. He oriented on various low-cost agroecological practices and diversification of crops which have led him to explore a new dimension. He started collecting all his farm waste and resources on one hand and divided his small farm into many plots on other hand. Out of his farm waste and resources, he managed to prepare matka khad, lamit ark, vermi compost, dasparni ark. He also started cultivating with systematic planning by diversifying his small farm with wheat, mustard, onion, coriander, gram, and fruit trees at the border of his farm.

I was quite happy to get the diverse production of my small farm. Initially, I was limited to only black gram and wheat. But last year I could manage to harvest mustard, gram, and onion too. This inspired me to go ahead with more diversifications with crops as well as varieties. Said Kaluram.

Further to this initiative, he expanded his small farm with more crops and plant species and found honeybees started coming to his field.

He consulted with the local horticulture department as well as the SAFBIN team and got to know the importance of honeybees and how to extend the period or to remain these pollinators on his farm.

Following the instructions, he started working on his small farm and introduced different fruit crops and vegetables like lemon, mango, papaya, guava, cauliflower, cabbage, okra, beans, pigeon pea, mustard, gram, onion, potatoes, coriander, cucumber, brinjal and fennel etc. to make more convenient habitat for natural pollinators to remain in his farm. The most unique initiative has done by him is a combination of annual and perennial species which provided varieties of flowers to attract different pollinators.

The most important part is to select the crops and plants that flower at different times of the year to provide necessary nectar which I understood that, will help improve my farm production and the environment too. I am obliged to the SAFBIN team who gave me such an opportunity to learn about diversification and various agroecological practices to improve my small farm. Kaluram said.

Pollination is an essential step in the reproduction of angiosperms. Most angiosperm species rely on insects or other animals rather than wind for the transfer of pollen among individual plants. Pollination is not only mutually beneficial to the interacting plants but also serves humanity directly through the yield of many crops, and indirectly by contributing to the healthy functioning of small farm ecosystems.