Volume 2014-03 ISSN 2208-0392 RESEARCH PAPER SERIES on Agroforestry and Community Forestry in Nepal The Research Paper Series on Agroforestry and Community Forestry in Nepal is published bi-monthly by “Enhancing livelihoods and food security from agroforestry and community forestry in Nepal”, or the EnLiFT Project (http://enliftnepal.org/). EnLiFT Project is funded by the Australian Centre of International Agricultural Research (ACIAR Project FST/2011/076). EnLiFT was established in 2013 and is a collaboration between: University of Adelaide, University of New South Wales, World Agroforestry Centre, Department of Forests (Government of Nepal), International Union for Conservation of Nature, ForestAction Nepal, Nepal Agroforestry Foundation, SEARCH-Nepal, Institute of Forestry, and Federation of Community Forest Users of Nepal. This is a peer-reviewed publication. The publication is based on the research project funded by Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). Manuscripts are reviewed typically by two or three reviewers. Manuscripts are sometimes subject to an additional review process from a national advisory group of the project. The editors make a decision based on the reviewers' advice, which often involves the invitation to authors to revise the manuscript to address specific concern before final publication. For further information, contact EnLiFT: In Nepal In Australia In Australia ForestAction Nepal University of Adelaide The University of New South Wales Dr Naya Sharma Paudel Dr Ian Nuberg Dr Krishna K. Shrestha Phone: +997 985 101 5388 Phone: +61 421 144 671 Phone: +61 2 9385 1413 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] ISSN: 2208-0392 Disclaimer and Copyright The EnLiFT Project (ACIAR FST/2011/076) holds the copyright to its publications but encourages duplication, without alteration, of these materials for non-commercial purposes. Proper citation is required in all instances. Information owned by others that requires permission is marked as such. The information provided is, to the best of our knowledge, accurate although we do not guarantee the information nor are we liable for any damages arising from use of the information. Suggested Manuscript Citation N Paudel, R Karki, G Puadel, H Ojha, M Basyal, A Bhandari, D Tamang, S Bhattarai, K Shrestha, I Nuberg. (2014), State of art in linking community forestry with food security in the Nepalese hills: Cases of Kavre and Lamjung districts, Research Paper Series on Agroforestry and Community Forestry in Nepal, 2014-03:1-105 Our cover A typical mid-hill Sal Forest in Lamjung District. The pile of firewood in the foreground were collected from this forest during their forest maintainance activities – the local silviculture treatment of Jhadi Katne and Godmel. Photo: Edwin Cedamon Editorial Team Managing Editor: Edwin Cedamon Editors: Naya Paudel, Hemant R. Ojha, Krishna K. Shrestha and Ian Nuberg COMMUNITY FORESTRY – Qualitative Baseline Study State of art in linking community forestry with food security in the Nepalese hills: Cases of Kavre and Lamjung districts NAYA S. PAUDEL 1 , RAHUL KARKI 1 , GOVINDA PAUDEL 1 HEMANT R. OJHA 2 , M A D A N B A SHYAL 1 , AJAY BHANDARI 1 DEEPAK TAMANG 3 , SUMAN BHATTARAI 4 , KRISHNA K SHRESTHA 2 EDWIN CEDAMON 5 , I A N N U B E R G 5 1 FORESTACTION NEPAL , LALITPUR, NEPAL 2 UNIVERSITY OF NEW SO U T H W A L E S , SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH W A L E S 3 SEARCH NEPAL , KATHMANDU, NEPAL 4 NEPAL AGROFORES TRY FOUNDATION , LALITPUR, NEPAL 5 UNIVERSITY OF ADELAI DE, ADELAIDE, SOUTH AU STRALIA TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .......................................... 2 Critical policy and regulatory barriers in CF- Knowledge gap in realising Community FS link .......................................................... 11 Forest - Food Security links............................ 2 District level situation of community forestry: EnLiFt project and its objectives .................... 2 Kavre and Lamjung ..................................... 14 Objectives of the baseline study ................... 2 Overview of community forestry in Kavre Structure of the report .................................. 3 and Lamjung districts ............................................. 14 METHODOLOGY .......................................... 3 Kavre ...................................................................... 15 Lamjung ................................................................. 20 Research design ............................................ 3 Aapchaur CFUG, Dhamilikuwa ............................... 24 Methods and tools ........................................ 3 Lampata CFUG, Jita Taxar ...................................... 29 Document review ..................................................... 3 Langdi Hariyali CFUG, Nalma ................................. 35 Participatory rural appraisal tools ........................... 4 Phagarkhola CFUG, Chaubas ................................. 43 Scope and definition of some key concepts .. 5 Saparupa CFUG, Methinkot ................................... 52 RESULTS ..................................................... 6 Kalapani CFUG , Dhunkharka ................................. 58 Forest and food security in Nepal: an Comparison of OPs in six sites ............................... 65 overview ........................................................ 6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ................. 65 Growing food crisis .................................................. 6 Acknowledgment ........................................ 70 Evolution of community forest in Nepal .................. 8 References ................................................... 71 Prospects of community forests in Annexes ....................................................... 74 enhancing food security and livelihoods ................. 8 1 COMMUNITY FORESTRY – Qualitative Baseline Study INTRODUCTION This is a qualitative baseline report on community forestry theme under the project entitled- Enhancing food security through agroforestry and community forestry in Nepal (EnLiFt) - a bilateral project of the Government of Nepal and the Australian Government, financed through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). The project has been jointly implemented by a consortium of national and international partners in three key areas: agroforestry, community forestry and under- utilised land. This particular report describes the state of art in Nepal's community forest (CF) and its link with food security and livelihoods from four angles: policy, institutions, market and silvicultural practice. The report is focused on six Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs) in six research sites of the project in the two districts – Kavre and Lamjung. However, this report also highlights the underlying policy, institutions and market dynamics at higher levels of governance that has shaped forest management at the CFUG level. Knowledge gap in realising Community Forest - Food Security links While Nepal's community forestry is regarded as one of the successful natural resource management programmes, there are concerns that it has not been able to adequately support the food security and livelihoods of its managers (Ojha et al. 2009; Thoms 2008; Dhakal et al. 2011). The claims over the success of the CF programme (MoFSC 2013- impact study) and increasing chronic problem of food scarcity (WFP and NeKSAP 2009) appear ironic given the predominance of integrated forest- livestock-crop production system, especially in the Nepalese hills. In this context, this baseline study is guided by questions like: what are the gaps in CF policy, regulatory and institutional framework that limit realisation of its full potential in meeting food security and livelihoods of local communities?; Where are the avenues for transforming forest policy and institutions towards meeting food and other livelihoods needs of local communities? This baseline report generates necessary evidence to explore answers to these questions, and also highlights areas of new knowledge that could inform policies and practice towards stronger community forest - food security (CF-FS) - livelihoods system in Nepal. EnLiFt project and its objectives The aim of this project is to enhance livelihoods and food security from improved implementation of agroforestry and community forestry systems in the middle hills of Nepal. These research questions were used to formulate objectives and activities for a project that could contribute to the aim within a five-year timeframe. The CF related objective of the project is to improve the functioning of CF systems to enhance the livelihoods and food security of CFUG members. Some of the major activities towards achieving these objectives are: 1. Analyse the status of CF and its constraints to improving equitable livelihoods 2. Identify innovative CF institutions and management practices 3. Analyse markets and value-chains for CF products 4. Analyse policy, access, tenurial and institutional limitations of CF 5. Conduct participatory action research to enhance equitable CF benefit sharing Objectives of the baseline study This baseline is designed to analyze the current state of CF system at the beginning of the project with two objectives. First is to identify priority researchable areas in the sites which form the basis of action research intervention. Second is to create a benchmark of the situation in the project area in order to 2 COMMUNITY FORESTRY – Qualitative Baseline