NATURAL BEEKEEPING. Theory and Practice of Organic Farming 4 5 February 2017 at Auroville (near Pondicherry)

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1 Theory and Practice of Organic Farming 4 5 February 2017 at Auroville (near Pondicherry) If bees would disappear, human would only had four more years to live. Today bees and other pollinators are highly endangered due to environmental pollution. Natural beekeeping integrated with organic farming practices is key in fostering a thriving environment for bees, now, and in the future. Natural beekeeping needs a deep understanding of the bees needs. This two-day workshop gives an introduction to natural beekeeping in India.

2 PROGRAM Following subjects will be studied and discussed: - Types of pollination and kind of plants involved - Importance of insect pollination especially bees - Types of honeybees in India - Biology, organisation of a bee colony, products of bees - The natural needs of bees - Natural hives and modern (frame) hives - Why are bees endangered species? - Making of simple beehives for Trigona spp (the stingless honeybee) or Apis cerana (the Indian honeybee)

3 THE FARM AS AN ECOSYSTEM OBJECTIVES - Learn about importance of pollination for farming - Introduction into natural beekeeping - Meet experts in the field PARTICIPANTS Expected participants may come from all walks of life with a strong interested in organic farming practices and natural beekeeping. No prior knowledge is required. The workshop contents will be adapted to the knowledge of the participants.

4 AURO-ORCHARD The farm, of 44 acres, was created by the Mother from the Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry at the very early years of Auroville, in order to feed the community. Started as a conventional farm in 1969, the farm has been converted to organic in Today Auro-Orchard is an organically certified farm. On 10 acres or irrigated land the farm produces 12 tones of vegetables, 5 tones of fruits, 200,000 eggs, plus some millets, ground-nuts, a bit of processed food. Auro-Orchard s faming practices are inspired by people like Sir Albert Howard, Masanobu Fukuoka, Bhaskar Save, Subash Palekar, Bernard Declercq and Claude Bourguignon. The farm practices a regenerative agriculture and aims at fostering the natural ecosystem services, relying on local biodiversity as an aid. The farming team comprises of Aurovilians, paid workers and numerous volunteers from all over the world. See: and

5 THE FARM AS AN ECOSYSTEM Erik Jansegers Erik is a Tropical Agronomist and Beekeeper. He is actually working in vegetable production management in Auro-Orchard Farm and in seeds conservation and production, as well as reforestation and soil building in Pebble Garden Forest. He is starting a bee project for the development of organic beekeeping with several local bee species in Auroville. He has been working for 7 years in the south of France, in an organic farm, managing the soil fertility and vegetable production, teaching the students and volunteers. He was producing and conserving 50 traditional varieties of wheat. He was an organic beekeeper with 30 beehives. He was an agro-ecological teacher for farmers in development projects in Africa. He is also one of the three authors of Le Manuel des jardins agroécologiques (A manual for agroecological gardens) a best seller for sustainable gardening, only available in French! TENTATIVE SCHEDULE DAY 1: 7:30 8:00 Breakfast 8:30 Pick-up at Guest House 9:00 10:30 Introduction to Honey Bees and Beekeeping. 10:30 11:00 Tea- break 11:00 12:30 Understanding the live of a bee colony 12:30 13:30 Lunch at Auro-Orchard Farm 14:00 15:30 Observation in the field: Auro-Orchard Farm 15:00 15:30 Tea break 15:30 17:00 Products of bees Movie: More than Honey DAY 2: 7:30 8:00 Breakfast 8:30 Pick-up at Guest House 9:00 10:30 Why are bees endangered species? Lecture and discussion 10:30 11:00 Tea- break 11:00 12:30 Natural hives and modern hives, the needs of bees 12:30 13:30 Lunch at Auro-Orchard Farm 14:00 15:30 Making of simple beehives 15:00 15:30 Tea break 15:30 17:00 Questions and answers session

6 REGISTRATION Fee: Rs. 14,500 per person *Includes 3 nights of accommodation, all meals, transportation within Auroville, materials and facilitation for all activities, and all taxes. All meals are vegetarian. Alcohol is not permitted in Auroville guest houses. Accommodation is on room sharing basis. Registration will be closed once the limited capacity of 20 participants is filled. Registration will be confirmed after receipt of the payment. We cannot refund your payment if you cannot attend for any reason, but you can transfer your registration to another person in writing 5 days before workshop start. If a facilitator is unavailable, then we will substitute the relevant activity with a similar one. In case of cancellation of the programme from our side, fees will be refunded within 10 days. LAST DATE FOR REGISTRATION: 28th January 2017 Registration Contact Jaspreet Singh Auroville Green Practices/Auroville Consulting SaraCon Campus, Kottakarai Plaza, Irumbai Post, Auroville , Tamil Nadu Tel: info@agpworkshops.com.

7 THE FARM AS AN ECOSYSTEM PAYMENT Payment can be made by online account transfer, Demand Draft or Cheque drawn in favour of Auroville Consulting, payable at State Bank of India, Auroville branch. Payment Option 1 Bank Transfer to: M/s. Auroville Consulting; Bank Name: State Bank of India, Auroville Main Road, Auroville ; Bank Branch name: Auroville International Township; Branch Code: 3160; MICR Code: ; IFSC Code: SBIN ; SWIFT Code: SBININBB474; Bank Account number : Payment Option 2 Kindly send Demand Draft or Cheque drawn in favor of Auroville Consulting and payable at State Bank of India, Auroville branch to: (you can also bring a DD at the first day of the conference at the registration table). Auroville Consulting Auroville Green Practices Workshop SaraCon Campus, Kottakarai Plaza, Irumbai Post, Auroville Tamil Nadu, India

8 ABOUT AUROVILLE Auroville is an international community situated in Tamil Nadu, India, with over 2000 people from around 40 different countries. Founded in 1968 by The Mother, Auroville is endorsed by UNESCO and the Government of India as an ongoing experiment in human unity. Aurovillians are constantly experimenting with new ideas and solutions in areas of education, arts and crafts, community building, new economy and sustainability. One of the unique aspects of research in Auroville is the fact that many ideas are put into practice. Over the years, Auroville has won international acclaim for its efforts in social and environmental sustainability. For more details visit: AUROVILLE GREEN PRACTICES Auroville Green Practices aims to bring together various stakeholders to envision future townships that offer a habitat that is ecologically, socially and economically nurturing.