Documentary Project Captures Indigenous Women Beekeepers in the Nilgiri Hills

UPDATE - follow-up to When Raajadharshini captured the queen (bees) of the Nilgiris: Photographer Raajadharshini has documented the lives of women participating in the Indian chapter of Guerlain's global Women for Bees project within the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

Project Impact And Heritage

Launched five years ago by the French luxury house Guerlain in partnership with UNESCO and the Keystone Foundation, the Women for Bees initiative has trained over 250 women in beekeeping, set up more than 3,500 hives, and protected at least eight native bee species across nine countries, including Cambodia, Peru, Rwanda, China, and France. Guerlain Global Sustainability Director Claire Coletti noted that the project is vital because food systems rely on bees, pointing out that hand-pollination with Q-tips in parts of China cannot match natural pollination. In the Nilgiris, traditional honey collection was historically dangerous work done by men climbing high trees and cliffs, but the new project introduces managed box hives for native Asian honeybees so women can cultivate honey safely near their homes.

Community And Climate Challenges

Participants in the project often spend mornings picking jasmine and afternoons drinking tea while sharing hive care tips and supporting independent businesses. To strengthen this network, Guerlain is launching a mobile app for Indian beekeepers to exchange real-time advice and handle seasonal challenges like heavy rain and wind. However, rising temperatures in the Nilgiris are affecting flower blooms and making colonies vulnerable to climate-induced diseases, prompting phase two of the project to focus on planting native flowering corridors and training initial participants to become trainers themselves.

Context

The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve sits at the meeting point of the Western and Eastern Ghats and is a protected biological hotspot known for its rich plant and animal life. Projects that introduce managed beehives help local communities generate income while supporting the natural pollination needed to maintain biodiversity in such fragile hill ecosystems.