Abstract
Beekeeping has emerged as a significant agriculture-based livelihood enterprise in India, offering income diversification opportunities for small and marginal farmers, rural youth, and women. This study presents a comparative analysis of the adoption of the District Level Beekeeping Development Scheme implemented by the Department of Horticulture and Food Processing (DHFP), Uttarakhand, across Doiwala and Raipur blocks of Dehradun district. A systematic sample of 60 beneficiaries (30 per block) was drawn from official DHFP records for the period 2024-2025. Primary data were collected through structured questionnaires, personal interviews, and field observations, while secondary data were sourced from government records and published literature. Statistical analyses included frequency distributions, percentages, standard deviation, independent-sample t-tests, and p-values. Results indicate that beekeepers are predominantly middle-aged men with intermediate to graduate-level education, while youth, women, and socially marginalized communities remain underrepresented. Technologically, universal adoption of Apis mellifera and Langstroth hives was observed in both blocks, reflecting uptake of modern practices. Comparative mean analysis of scheme adoption revealed that Raipur beneficiaries demonstrated significantly higher awareness (p = 0.0268), greater participation in pre-distribution training (p = 0.0177), and greater satisfaction with the bee boxes provided (p = 0.0373). These findings underscore that effective awareness outreach and pre-training interventions are pivotal determinants of scheme success. Strengthening institutional support, cooperative marketing, and capacity-building initiatives is recommended to enable inclusive and sustainable apicultural development across both blocks.