Chea Kheamry_Individual Stories - Tuk Tuk Lady by Planeterra Foundation
How Collective Beekeeping Practices are Reviving Ecosystems and Rural Livelihoods in India
Written by Deeksha Sharma
“Bees are nature’s best pollinators. Protecting them means protecting our biodiversity.”
~ Vandana Shiva, Indian Environmental Activist
In many rural landscapes, bees are treated as tools of production to increase honey output. But in fragile mountain ecosystems, that approach can do more harm than good. Industrial agriculture, chemical inputs, monocultures and rising temperatures have placed pollinators under strain. In response, some communities are rethinking what beekeeping should look like.
In Badsar village in Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh, India, the Tenacious Bee Collective (TBC) is working with farmers and women’s groups to rebuild beekeeping as a local, place-based practice. Their model is small in scale, grounded in ecological balance, community-led and worth learning about.
Why Beekeeping Needs to be Relearned
Over the past few decades, agriculture in many regions has shifted toward monocultures and high-yield systems. Large fields planted with a single crop reduce the diversity of flowering plants that bees depend on. Chemical pesticides further weaken bee populations and climate variability adds another layer of stress, disrupting flowering cycles and shortening foraging windows.
TBC approaches this issue differently. Instead of focusing on volume, it prioritizes ecological balance. The collective supports native bee species adapted to the Himalayan climate. It encourages low-intervention methods that allow bees to follow natural cycles.
Mentioned below are the values TBC sticks with every day:
- Natural, unadulterated bespoke products: TBC produces pure, raw hive-based products with no added preservatives, preserving the authentic taste of the Himalayas.
- Bee-centric: Every activity is guided by the health of bees, placing ethical care at the heart of reviving bee populations in rural Himachal.
- Environment first, profit later: TBC prioritizes sustainable living and ethical production, placing the environment before profit.
- Community-oriented: The collective brings together beekeepers, farmers and local makers, creating rural employment through training and workshops.
- Inclusive: They believe in an inclusive community where everyone can participate in protecting bees and sustaining the land.
In 2023, Tenacious Bee Collective was selected as a recipient of the Planeterra Community Tourism Fund. The support has been instrumental in strengthening their community-led beekeeping model, enabling them to expand ethical practices and continue their regenerative work in rural Himachal Pradesh.
They also received recognition for their ‘Apidome’, an apitherapy wooden structure (bee hive house) used for therapeutic, relaxing sessions that utilize hive air, vibration and warmth for health benefits.
“The Planeterra Community Tourism Fund from Planeterra has helped us carry forward our work with greater confidence and structure,” says Aditya Singh, Experience and Operations Manager at Tenacious Bee. “It has allowed us to continue building an ethical, community-driven model of beekeeping. For us, it’s not just financial support – it’s encouragement to keep strengthening regenerative practices on the ground.”
At its core, TBC’s initiatives are bee-centric. Every activity, from hive management to product development, is assessed through the lens of bee health.
How Collective Beekeeping Works at Tenacious Bee
In Badsar, beekeeping is closely linked with small-scale farming. Over the past several years, Tenacious Bee has developed a circular model in Badsar village. Small-scale farmers are trained in proven scientific practices of ethical beekeeping while drawing from local knowledge systems. Traditional hive forms, including the “dhalooni” built into house walls, are being documented and revived in collaboration with local apiarists.
Instead of concentrating hundreds of hives in one location, apiaries remain small and dispersed. This reduces competition for forage and aligns hive numbers with the landscape’s capacity. Alongside hive maintenance, TBC cultivates local herbs and flowering plants that nourish bees across seasons. A leased plot in the village serves as a demonstration space where bee flora is grown, and knowledge exchange takes place.
Local community members, especially women, help develop value-added products such as beeswax candles and small-batch apothecary items. Through these activities, beekeeping forms a significant part of a broader ecosystem of production and creativity.
From Biodiversity to Livelihoods
Tenacious Bee is building a knowledge base around distinct Himalayan honey types in collaboration with herbal scientists and apiary institutions. Slow production is central to this model.
Honey is harvested in small batches, and beeswax is hand-processed. This approach avoids high capital investment and heavy mechanization, thereby reducing financial risk. It also preserves authenticity in a market often dominated by blended or highly processed honey.
Women in Badsar village have gained new employment pathways through these activities. Training workshops and participation in hive management and product development generate additional income streams. With so much love and light in them, these women fill anyone’s day with warmth and inspiration.
“I love coming here every day,” says Sheena, who works at TBC. “It doesn’t feel like work. I get to spend time with my closest friends, we share our stories, and we build something meaningful together. Tenacious Bee feels like a happy place to us.”
Sheena’s words are echoed by her other colleagues in the collective, who see their work not just as employment, but as a space of friendship and belonging.
A Model that Lets Communities Lead
For organizations involved in community tourism, the key question is how to engage with local communities responsibly. The beekeeping model in Badsar offers a great pathway. At TBC, visitors learn about ethical beekeeping, native species and the role of pollinators in mountain ecosystems. Here, engagement takes the form of educational sessions, attending workshops, product purchases or hive adoption linked to larger orders.
Tourism is not the primary driver of the initiative, but it adds a layer of support. Many travellers stop by, visit the workshop and tour around the organic farm. Decisions about scale and storytelling remain with local stakeholders. This reduces the risk of turning livelihood practices into commercial experiences.
Tenacious Bee’s mission is to create a self-sustaining blueprint for economic, social and environmental development around bees. Its work demonstrates that conservation does not need to be separated from livelihood creation. When communities are equipped with skills, supported by fair markets and trusted to guide their own processes, both ecosystems and incomes can stabilize.
In the Himalayas, where pollinators face mounting pressures, Tenacious Bee’s approach offers a practical way forward. It begins with bees, but it extends to soil health, food security, local enterprise and knowledge revival. Hence, if bees live well, we’ll live well.
About the author:
Deeksha Sharma is a travel enthusiast, a passionate writer and a storyteller who loves sharing local stories about conscious travel, communities and culture. She’s a senior storyteller and editorial co-lead at Postcard Travel Club, a global media company fostering a community of conscious travellers. She was also recently nominated for the Regenerative Travel Impact Awards – Storyteller of the Year 2024 by Regenerative Travel.
With her new book launched at the New Delhi World Book Fair in 2025 by the National Book Trust of India (Ministry of Education), Deeksha is helping shape the narrative around tourism’s role in cultural preservation and sustainable development. In her award-winning blog, Story Happens (earlier known as YouInVerse – youinverse.org) – she aims to bring underrepresented voices and traditions to mainstream audiences. In addition, she loves to practice mindfulness, read and write poems, go for long walks, especially in the evenings and enjoy sunsets.
Meet Romana Tomić from Association Deša Dubrovnik
Deša is a non-governmental organization that has been active since the beginning of the Homeland War in 1991. It was created as a space where women could support one another through the challenges they were facing, and over time, they began developing a small handicraft business together.
What started as a grassroots initiative has grown into a women’s centre where skills, knowledge, and cultural traditions continue to be shared and sustained.
When visiting Deša, travellers are invited to learn about the local history while experiencing weaving, embroidery, traditional delicacies, and patchwork.
But for Romana, these visits go far beyond demonstrations.
Romana has been part of Deša since the very beginning. She often says the women there helped raise and inspire her. When she speaks with visitors, she shares not only the history of the organization but her own journey, from its early days to what it represents today.
When she talks about their wartime and post-war experiences, many travellers are deeply moved. There are moments of silence, of tears, and also of connection.
“We share stories, emotions, and sometimes even hugs,” she says. “Those moments stay with me, and I believe they stay with the visitors too.”
Although it can be difficult to revisit these experiences, Romana is grateful that people are willing to listen. For her, these conversations are also a way of processing and healing, a reminder that sharing can create understanding.
Today, she takes particular pride in speaking about what Deša has built over the years, especially the ongoing work to strengthen support networks for women.
Through conversations with visitors, she is often reminded that many challenges and efforts toward dignity and safety are shared across different parts of the world.
And then there’s what she calls her “secret mission”: helping younger generations connect with and appreciate their cultural heritage.
In truth, she enjoys sharing every part of the work Deša continues to do.
Romana is proud of what Deša represents, a space shaped by the women who built it, and one that continues to evolve with them.
Stories like Romana’s show how community tourism can create space for connection, understanding, and shared experiences.
When Wild Horses Became an Opportunity: A Story of Coexistence in Italy
In the Aveto Valley in northern Italy, a small population of wild horses once sparked heated debate. For some residents and authorities, they were seen as a problem. Animals that did not belong in the landscape and posed risks to people and agriculture.
For Evelina Isola, the story looked different.
As a naturalist, she was curious about a simple question: what if the horses were not the problem?
Together with her colleague Paola Marinari, Evelina began exploring whether these animals could live in balance with the ecosystem that surrounded them, a protected natural park governed by the European Habitats Directive. What started as a question soon became a long journey that would reshape how people in the region understood wildlife, conservation, and the role tourism could play in supporting both.
Today, Evelina is the co-founder and scientific manager of ReWild Liguria, an organization dedicated to promoting coexistence between people and wildlife in the region. But the story began years earlier, at a time when the horses’ future was far from certain.
From “problem” to possibility
The first turning point came in 2011. At the time, Paola was involved in a regional program aimed at removing the horses from the area. Authorities considered them dangerous, and capture operations had already begun. After a poaching incident and a series of problematic capture attempts, the Italian Ministry of Health intervened and halted the program.
For Paola, the moment sparked a shift in perspective.
She began to question whether adoption programs and removals were really the solution. Instead, she wondered if the presence of the horses, widely seen as a problem, could actually become an opportunity for the territory.
When Evelina joined the conversation, the two decided to approach the situation from a scientific perspective. They began collaborating with universities and researchers to study the horses and their relationship with the surrounding environment.
The results were striking. The animals had fully adapted to the landscape and were living in balance with other wildlife species without causing ecological damage. Rather than threatening the ecosystem, they had become part of it.
That discovery laid the foundation for a different approach to conservation, one rooted not in removal, but in coexistence.
Building a project from the ground up
The idea that the horses could be part of the landscape did not immediately win widespread support.
For years, Evelina and Paola worked almost entirely on their own. The project had no institutional backing and very limited resources. In rural areas, some residents still viewed the horses as a problem, and at times the two women even received threats.
Yet something else was happening at the same time.
Visitors, researchers, and students began arriving in the valley, curious about the horses and the research taking place around them. Universities from across Italy showed growing interest in studying the population.
In 2014, Evelina and Paola formally registered the brand “I Cavalli Selvaggi dell’Aveto – Wild Horsewatching®”, creating a recognizable framework for their work and laying the groundwork for a new kind of nature-based tourism experience.
What began as scientific research gradually evolved into a project that connected conservation, education, and tourism.
When visitors become part of the story
Over time, the initiative started attracting students from a wide range of disciplines.
Researchers studying the horses were not limited to ecology or biology. Some focused on ethology, anthropology, environmental law, and even territorial marketing, exploring the broader relationship between wildlife, communities, and landscapes.
For Evelina, one moment in particular stands out.
During one of the early excursions in the valley, she guided two Natural Sciences students from the University of Genoa. At the time, she had no idea how meaningful the experience would become.
One of those students, Sara, was on the verge of leaving university. She had nearly decided not to finish her degree. But through the project — and her encounters with the horses — she found a renewed sense of purpose.
Sara eventually completed her studies and became one of the most dedicated students working with the project.
For Evelina, experiences like this reveal something deeper about the initiative.
“It’s not only about wildlife conservation,” she says. “It’s also about inspiring people and helping them rediscover their place in nature.”
Learning that coexistence is a social process
Through years of research and dialogue, Evelina has come to understand that coexistence between people and wildlife does not happen automatically.
Scientific studies are important. Communication and awareness matter as well.
But they are not enough on their own.
Coexistence requires listening to communities, creating space for different perspectives, and building dialogue around shared landscapes. It is, at its core, a social process.
This realization has shaped the work of Rewild Liguria and the development of Wild Horsewatching, which allows visitors to observe the horses in a respectful way while learning about the delicate balance between wildlife, ecosystems, and local communities.
Visitors who join these excursions are often surprised by what they discover.
Many arrive expecting to simply observe wild animals. Instead, they leave with a different perspective on their own relationship with nature.
A growing network of people and ideas
Today, Rewild Liguria is still a relatively small organization, but it is no longer just two people.
Students who conducted thesis research with the project have continued supporting the initiative after graduating. Some now work in fields such as natural sciences, biology, anthropology, and equine science, contributing their expertise and helping expand the project’s reach.
These collaborations have created a growing network of people connected to the Aveto Valley and its wild horses.
Looking ahead, Evelina hopes to strengthen partnerships with universities, organizations, and institutions at both the national and international level. Greater collaboration could allow the project to exchange knowledge, build new research initiatives, and access resources needed to expand its impact.
Creating opportunities through nature
While conservation remains central to the project, Evelina also sees potential for something more.
Rural communities across Europe are facing economic and demographic challenges, and many traditional livelihoods are disappearing. Initiatives like Wild Horsewatching could offer a different kind of opportunity, one rooted in respect for nature and local landscapes.
“My hope is that this work can create real opportunities for people who live in this area,” Evelina explains.
Not simply tourism for its own sake, but meaningful work connected to the natural environment.
Today, much of the project still relies on voluntary effort and personal dedication. Evelina hopes that in the coming years it can evolve into a stable professional pathway for people interested in promoting coexistence with wildlife through nature-based experiences.
Beyond economic opportunities, she believes the project can also help shift how people see wildlife.
In many rural areas, the return of wild animals is often perceived as a threat. Projects like this one show that coexistence is possible, and that wildlife can also become a cultural, educational, and economic resource for communities.
A message for visitors
For Evelina, the deeper purpose of the project goes beyond conservation or tourism.
When visitors return home, she hopes they remember one simple idea.
“We do not go into nature as something separate from it,” she says. “We are nature.”
The horses of the Aveto Valley offer a reminder that humans are only one part of a much larger system. Observing wildlife can help people reconnect with that understanding in a very direct way.
The project also carries another message.
Fifteen years ago, the idea of rewilding tourism in the valley was almost unheard of. Two women began asking questions about the horses with no resources and little institutional support.
Yet their curiosity and determination created something that continues to grow.
Meaningful change, Evelina believes, often begins with small steps, and with the courage to imagine a different relationship between people, communities, and the natural world.
Anyone, anywhere, can start that conversation.
How Tunisian Artisans are bringing tradition into the future
For generations, artisans across Tunisia have passed down skills through careful hands, patient work, and deep cultural knowledge. But in today’s world of mass production and global markets, these traditions can struggle to find space.
That challenge is exactly what inspired Noura Bent Taieb Rouis to help create the Rachaek Patrimoine Association.
The association was founded with a clear goal: to preserve artisanal heritage while helping artisans adapt to a changing world.
“Our goal was to modernize artisanal products and keep up with the times,” Noura explains. “At the same time, we wanted to introduce our cultural heritage and encourage investment in the creative skills of artisans.”
For many artisans in the region, the challenge was not a lack of talent, but limited opportunities to share their work.
“Artisans had a limited audience and restricted sales,” she says. “This created a desire to expand and reach a broader market.”
The solution was collaboration. Artisans came together to create an association that could strengthen their collective voice and create new opportunities.
Bringing heritage to new audiences
For Noura, joining the association was about more than simply selling products.
“What attracted me was the aspiration to reach a distinguished level and expand the reach of our products,” she says.
Traditionally, artisans relied on small exhibitions or occasional markets. But through the association, they began exploring new ways to connect with audiences and showcase their work.
Visitors now have the opportunity to learn not only about the products themselves but about the stories behind them.
Noura takes particular pride in sharing the origins of the materials and techniques used in the crafts.
“I like explaining the sources of our raw materials and the heritage behind each piece,” she says.
For many visitors, these conversations transform a simple object into something far more meaningful: a connection to a living cultural tradition.
Passing knowledge to the next generation
While visitors are important, some of Noura’s favourite moments come from working with children in the community.
One memory stands out especially.
“Our events with children are always spontaneous and full of energy,” she says. “Their playful spirit inspires us to work even more with the rising generation.”
For artisans, passing knowledge to younger generations is essential to keeping traditions alive.
Workshops and events give children the chance to experience craft not just as something to observe, but something to participate in.
Strengthening craft through collaboration
Partnerships and external support have also played an important role in helping the association grow.
Through trainings and collaborations supported by partners such as Planeterra and Iberostar, the association has been able to strengthen both skills and confidence.
“These relationships helped us improve our knowledge and continue raising the quality of our work,” Noura says.
They also helped artisans rethink the role of their craft.
Instead of focusing only on selling products, the association began emphasizing the artistry, mastery, and cultural value behind each piece.
Quality over quantity
In a world full of mass-produced goods, Noura believes the true value of artisanal work lies in its uniqueness.
“Our focus is always on quality, not quantity,” she says.
While markets are filled with industrial products, the work created by artisans tells a different story.
“We use high-quality raw materials and craft each piece carefully,” she explains. “Every creation is unique.”
For visitors, this dedication often leaves a lasting impression.
Noura hopes they leave with a deeper appreciation for the skill, patience, and creativity behind each piece of craftsmanship.
Looking to the future
For Noura, the future of the association is filled with possibility.
She hopes the organization will continue to grow, expanding opportunities for artisans while strengthening the presence of Tunisian craftsmanship locally and internationally.
“I hope the association will thrive and expand,” she says. “I wish to see branches in many areas, increased sales and income for artisans, and a strong presence both regionally and internationally.”
At its heart, the work remains rooted in a simple but powerful idea:
preserving heritage while creating new opportunities for the future.
Reclaiming the Story of Isla Maciel Through Community Tourism
When Carla Fodor was principal of the only secondary school in Isla Maciel, she noticed something that deeply concerned her.
Many students were reluctant to say where they lived.
“Many young people had a very diminished view of the place where they lived,” Carla explains. “There was little knowledge about the history, roots, and heritage of the territory, and in many cases, students even felt ashamed to say where they came from.”
Located just across the river from Buenos Aires, Isla Maciel has long carried a strong external stigma, often associated only with violence or crime. Those narratives shaped how young people saw themselves and their community.
That question became the beginning of a project that would eventually grow far beyond the classroom.
A project born from education
The initiative first started as a pedagogical experience.
Students began exploring their own neighbourhood: interviewing residents, documenting stories, and learning about the history and culture of the place they called home.
“It was a way to look at the territory again,” Carla says, “to recover local stories, knowledge, and memories, and to create space for young people to recognize themselves as part of a place with value.”
Two years later, neighbours began to join the initiative. What started as a school project soon evolved into a community effort.
Eventually, the initiative became the Isla Maciel Community Museum, a civil association built and sustained by local residents.
Community Tourism as a new chapter
As the project grew, the community began exploring how visitors could learn about Isla Maciel directly from the people who know it best.
Through community tourism initiatives supported by partners like Planeterra and its travel partners such as G Adventures, travellers are now welcomed to experience the neighbourhood through guided visits and cultural exchanges.
But for Carla, the most meaningful impact goes beyond tourism itself.
“One of the things that makes me most proud is witnessing the transformation of the people involved in the project,” she says.
“Seeing their processes of growth, how they gain confidence, and how they move from participating shyly to becoming active and decisive members continues to teach me every day. The project does not only receive visitors; it also transforms those who sustain it.”
Stories that break stereotypes
Visitors often come to Isla Maciel with curiosity, but they leave with something more.
“Travellers often highlight the closeness, the ease of a hug, and the simplicity of our storytelling,” Carla says.
“They value meeting people who can always add a ‘bonus track’ to the narrative, because what is shared is not memorized, it is lived.”
One of her favourite memories comes from a cultural exchange with a group of secondary school students from Denmark.
Nearly eighty young people arrived with many preconceived ideas about the community and about Argentina.
But those perceptions quickly changed.
“They ended up sharing dulce de leche cake, laughing out loud in an improvised football match, even though they played quite badly,” Carla remembers with a smile.
“By the end, they left hugging us. For me, that says more than any explanation ever could.”
Building something together
Over the years, partnerships, trainings, and collaborations have helped strengthen the organization.
But Carla emphasizes that the project has always been built collectively.
“Our organization was never built alone,” she says.
“When we were just ten people meeting in a cold, dark space, many organizations trusted us when there were no visible results yet. They believed in what we were proposing.”
That trust allowed the community to slowly transform the space, repairing the roof, creating workshops, building an auditorium, and establishing cultural programs.
“Without that network of support, trust, and shared work, we would not be who we are today.”
Looking ahead
For Carla, the future of the initiative is rooted in the same values that guided its creation more than a decade ago.
“I hope this work continues to generate stability and real opportunities, especially for young people,” she says. “I hope families can imagine their future here without feeling that leaving is the only option.”
For her personally, the connection to the community has become deeply meaningful.
“Being called ‘Carla de Maciel’ means more to me than any academic degree,” she says.
“It is a form of belonging that carries enormous meaning.”
And for those who visit Isla Maciel, Carla hopes they leave with one simple realization.
“I would like them to remember that they did not just visit a place, but shared a moment with real people.”