2015 Annual Report 2014/15 2071/72 FORWARD Nepal FORWARD Nepal Forum for Rural Welfare and Agricultural Reform for Development (FORWARD Nepal) P.O.Box 11 (Bhp) Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal Tel: +977 56 527623/527734 Email: [email protected]; [email protected] Website: www.forwardnepal.org Vision FORWARD seeks a pleasant and self-reliant society in which all people live in dignity and prosperity. Mission FORWARD facilitates disadvantaged people to fulfi ll their basic needs through technology generation, social mobilization, advocacy and optimum utilization of available resources in a participatory approach. Goal FORWARD aims to reduce poverty of the communities through integrated and sustainable development interventions. Contents Foreword 5 Abbreviations and Acronyms 6 A Brief Introduction to FORWARD Nepal 7 1. Sustainable Integrated Farming System (SIFS) in South Asia 13 2. Agricultural Learning Exchange for Asian Regional Networking (AgLEARN) 16 3. Household Economic Security (HES) Programme in Morang District 18 4. Riverbed Farming in Banke, Siraha, Saptari, Sunsari, Morang and Jhapa Districts 20 5. Improving Livelihoods of Smallholder Dairy Farmers through Feed Management in Kailali District 21 6. Improving Food Security through Community Based Seed Production Initiatives in Surkhet District 23 7. Adoption of Improved Maize Varieties in the Hills of Nepal and the Impact of Community Based Seed Production 24 8. Child Centered Climate Change Adaptation (4CA) Project 25 9. Consulting Services to Develop Appropriate Agricultural Training Package for Nirdhan Utthan Bank Limited (NUBL) 27 10. Multi Stakeholder Forestry Programme (MSFP) - Implementation of Forest-Based Enterprise Promotion Programme in Bajura and Doti Districts 29 11. Promoting Green Economy in Hill Areas of Nepal and Bangladesh 32 12. Transfer, Evaluation and Dissemination of an Innovative Fertilizer Management Tool (Nutrient Expert) for Increasing Crop Yields and Farmers’ Income in Eastern Nepal 34 13. Community Practice in Schools for Learning Climate Change Adaptation (COPILA) 36 14. Enhancing Food Security through Scaling Up of Climate Smart Practices in Rice-Lentil System in Dang, Banke, Bardiya and Kailali District 37 15. Enhancing Livelihood of Chepangs in Siddhi VDC of Chitwan through Beekeeping Development 38 16. Enhancing Livelihood of Smallholder Farmers in Central Terai District of Nepal (ELIVES) 39 17. Vegetable Seed Distribution for Earthquake Affected Households in Chitwan District 40 18. Agro/Livestock Business Promotion Training Programme 41 18. Socio-Economic Study on Maize Production and Evaluation and Dissemination of Nutrient Expert+ Tool Based on Farmer Typologies in Eastern Terai of Nepal 42 Collaboration and Linkage 44 Publication 47 Audit Report 2071/72 (2014/15) 49 Foreword It has been a wonderful year for all of us at FORWARD from the support and suggestions we have been Nepal, and we are pleased to share with you this receiving for our institutional development from our Annual Report of the fiscal year 2071/72 B.S. (Mid July previous employees and members no matter where 2014 to Mid July 2015). This annual report spotlights they are. It shows how we worked harmoniously in the programmes conducted, fund mobilized during the the organization. For this, we would like to extend our year, human resources, and publications. heartiest thanks to our former employees. We would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to the Over the past year, our work continued for the staff currently employed in the organization for their implementation of 21 on-going projects, documentation dedication and diligence to serve the communities for and reporting of 6 phased out projects, development of whom we work. proposals and exploration for external funding projects/ support. Enormous efforts were made for joint projects Regarding our future plan, as the projects are lifeline bidding with national and international partners for new of NGOs, project collaborations and partnership will programmes and to some extent we are successful in always be our priority both at national and international achieving new partnership to serve the disadvantaged level. Besides, our own income generation activities will communities through our projects. Furthermore our be another important task for the sustainability of the efforts have bestowed us multi-partnership project organization. We are equally responsible to review and bidding experience. follow the five years strategic plan of the organization. As we all know that the devastating earthquake of 25th In the context of publishing this annual report, we April 2015, with a magnitude of 7.8 struck Nepal with would like to take an opportunity to thank our donor its epicenter in Gorkha district resulted in loss of many agencies in trusting us for the programmes. Our special lives and homes. In this shocking situation, we also tried thanks also goes to our project collaborating partners, to assist the earthquake affected people in some of the communities where we have worked government and communities in Chitwan district through distribution of private sectors, who supported us for our programmes common and seasonal vegetable seeds and training to help the needy communities around us. We would as immediate post recovery programme and made also like to thank our founder members, members of financial contribution to the district disaster relief executive committee, advisors and auditors, without fund managed by the District Disaster Management their support, encouragement and suggestions we Committee. Furthermore, our endeavor are continuous would not have been able to stand at the present to work in this pivotal matter. platform. We are eager to see what we can do in the years ahead to bring positive changes in the In the year 2071-72, we directly employed 78 lives of people through sustainable development staff. Besides many staff were hired by the partner interventions. organizations in various districts as we implement projects through local partners. Turnover of the staff in the organization has been a natural phenomenon this year as well but we are capable and confident enough to manage and hire competent human resource required for our programmes. We always look for creative, dynamic, competent, energetic, committed and flexible personnel with workforce diversity whenever hiring the staff and provide them lively working environment. Naba Raj Devkota, PhD Netra Pratap Sen It is worth mentioning that we are much encouraged Chairperson Executive Director 5 Abbreviations and Acronyms 4CA Child-Centered Climate Change Adaption HES Household Economic Security ABPTP Agro/Livestock Business Promotion HHs Households Training Programme HMRP Hill Maize Research Programme AgLEARN Agricultural Learning Exchange for Asian IAAS Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science Regional Networking ICS Improved Cooking Stove AFU Agriculture and Forestry University ILRI International Livestock Research Institute AIP Activity Implementation Plan IOM International Organization for Migration AIT Asian Institute of Technology IPNI International Plant Nutrition Institute BMZ Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation LDRMP Local Disaster Risk Management Plan and Development LFUGs Local Forest User Groups CBOs Community Based Organizations LRT Local Resource Team CBSP Community Based Seed Production MISS Malika Integrated Social Service CC Climate Change MoAD Ministry of Agriculture Development CCA Climate Change Adaptation MoLE Ministry of Labor and Employment CDMC Community Disaster Management MOU Memorandum of Understanding Committee MPFG Multi-Purpose Farmers Group CDRMP Community Disaster Risk Management MSFP Multi Stakeholder Forestry Programme Plan MSFP-IAs Multi Stakeholder Forestry Programme- CFUGs Community Forest Groups Implementing Agencies CIMMYT International Maize and Wheat MSFP-SSU Multi Stakeholder Forestry Programme- Improvement Centre Service Support Unit COPILA Community Practice in Schools for NARC Nepal Agriculture Research Council Learning Climate Change Adaptation NE Nutrient Expert CSDRM Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management NMDP National Market Development Programme CSISA Cereal Systems Initiatives for South Asia NTFPs Non Timber Forest Products DADO District Agriculture Development Office NUBL Nirdhan Utthan Bank Limited DAGs Disadvantaged Groups PCVA Participatory Climate Vulnerability DAYS Devi Acquire Youth Service Assessment DLSO District Livestock Service Office PMCA Participatory Market Chain Analysis DOA Department of Agriculture RbF Riverbed Vegetable Farming DRM Disaster Risk Management RDC Rural Development Centre ECO ECO Club RDMA Regional Development Mission for Asia ED Entrepreneurship Development RDSC Rural Development Service Centre ELIVES Enhancing Livelihoods of Smallholder RRHHs Remittance Receiving Households Farmers in Central Terai Districts of Nepal RMs Returnee Migrants FFD Farmer’s Field Day SB Stemphyllium Blight FFS Farmer’s Field School SIFS Sustainable Integrated Farming System FGD Focus Group Discussion SSA Sub sector Analysis FORWAD Forum for Rural Welfare & Agricultural Reform for Development SPSS Statistical Package for Social Sciences FtF Feed the Future TNA Training Need Assessment FY Fiscal Year USAID United States Agency for International Development GoN Government of Nepal VDCs Village Development Committees GOs Government Organizations WHH Welthungerhilfe HBDT Himalayan Bio-dynamic Development Trust 6 A BRIEF ongoing projects, three projects are implemented INTRODUCTION