Project National HIVEway
The Project National HIVEway is an ambitious initiative to address multiple pressing issues in India, such as bee conservation, forest rejuvenation, empowerment of honey-gatherer tribes, as well as transformation into a green and vibrant landscape.
Here’s a breakdown of the key challenges, solutions, and benefits of this initiative:
The Challenges:
- Bee Population Decline: Approximately 50% of India’s bee population has declined, posing a significant threat to pollination and food security.
- Deforestation: India’s national forest cover is less than 22%, insufficient to sustain biodiversity and environmental well-being.
- Land Degradation: Over 30% of fertile lands are degrading, simultaneously jeopardizing agriculture and food security.
- Food Insecurity: About 7% of the population faces dire challenges of food insecurity, putting millions at risk of hunger.
- Future Challenges: The nation collectively faces a challenging future, with potentially severe consequences for future generations.
The Solutions:
Project National HIVEway proposes a holistic approach to address these challenges:
- Greening Highways: The initiative aims to expand India’s green cover and turn National Highways into “HIVEways” by planting fruit and flora attractive to bees and other pollinators.
- Empowering Local Tribes: Empowering indigenous honey-gatherer tribes with knowledge and technology to manage and protect these nano-forests along the highways.
- HIVEway Arcades: The initiative proposes establishing HIVEway Arcades every 150 to 200 kilometers along the highways on an average to sell honey and horticulture products, providing economic opportunities and skills demonstrations.
The Benefits:
The National HIVEway initiative offers numerous benefits:
- Expanding Green Cover: The HIVEway concept aims to green at least an additional 30% of India’s highways within a span of two years.
- HIVEway Arcades: Establishing HIVEway Arcades every 150 to 200 kilometers along the highways, where honey and horticulture products will be made available, promoting economic development of tribals and sustainable practices.
- Community Empowerment: The initiative strives to employ, rehabilitate, and empower 1,000 economically deprives communities, fostering self-reliance and resilience.
- Bee Population Growth: With a target of increasing the bee population by 20%, the initiative aims to promote natural pollination contributing to increased agricultural productivity.
- Carbon Footprint Reduction: The project aims to reduce vehicular carbon emissions by 20%, by integrating greenery along highways contributing to cleaner air and a healthier environment.
- Forest Expansion: The initiative endeavors to increase India’s forest coverage by 5%, providing critical habitats for wildlife while helping with carbon sequestration, which is the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.
- Biodiversity Preservation: The initiative plays a role in halting biodiversity loss, safeguarding the rich tapestry of India’s natural heritage.
