Regenerating Forests and Livelihoods in Nepal
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148 17 148 a new lease on life Forests and Livelihoods in Nepal Regenerating Regenerating Regenerating Forests and Livelihoods in Nepal Forests and This is a success story about a ground-breaking mitigate climate change and to help the most and innovative rural development operation in vulnerable farmers become more resilient to its the Himalayan foothills in Nepal that made a effects as well as improving their family income. Livelihoods real difference. During a lifespan of 20 years, it transformed increasingly degraded land, where Farmers who took part in the Leasehold Forestry farmers carved out a meager existence, into a programme speak candidly about how the fertile and prosperous zone where they could initiative helped them to increase their production in Nepal thrive. The ingredients to the programme’s of tree crops and livestock without degrading success, from both technical and human the precious forest upon which their livelihoods perspectives, are described in this book and depend. Time and time again, their testimonies demonstrate people’s extraordinary commitment bear witness to the importance of “inclusiveness” a new lease on life in this country prone to natural disasters, including – ensuring that everyone in their community, earthquakes. especially women and young people, take part in every aspect of the learning and the doing. Spearheaded under the Roof of the World, the Bala Ram Adhikari Leasehold Forestry and Livestock Programme The forest was allocated to communities with teams worked closely with the local inhabitants, 40-year renewable leases and then restored by Nav Raj Baral civil society and the government. The tasks the Leasehold Forestry programme staff and ranged from bringing in cultivation techniques villagers to create viable and sustainable incomes Jim Hancock that protected the environment, to introducing and reduce poverty. The result? The dramatic Govinda Kafley new local crops and goats, to promoting an “greening” of once barren lands; abundant entrepreneurial spirit and marketing expertise. harvests and new products; a higher standard of Pashupati Koirala Every intervention was carefully conducted to living – in short, a better life and one that holds great promise for the generations to come. Jaap Reijmerinck Brett Shapiro Under the coordination of Benoit Thierry FAO IFAD CABI CABI ISBN 978-92-5-108899-9 Nosworthy Way 745 Atlantic Avenue Wallingford 8th Floor Oxfordshire Boston, MA 20111 OX10 8DE USA UK 978 9251 088999 I5015E/1/09.15 For information on CABI publications, see our website at www.cabi.org Regenerating Forests and Livelihoods in Nepal_HB.indd 2 10/11/2015 09:59 Regenerating forests and livelihoods in Nepal - A new lease on life Unfolding the experience of 20 years of poverty alleviation through leasehold forestry in the Himalayas Authors: Bala Ram Adhikari – Department of Forests, Government of Nepal Nav Raj Baral – Forestry specialist Jim Hancock – Natural resources Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO-UN), Rome Govinda Kafley – Team Leader, TA-LFLP Pashupathi Koirala – Department of Forests, Government of Nepal Jaap Reijmerinck – Agriculture and rural Economist Brett Shapiro, lead author, technical writer Under the coordination of: Benoit Thierry, Country programme manager, International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), Rome Editors: Kenichi Shono, Forestry Officer, FAO Regional Asia Pacific Office (FAO RAP) CABI, UK REGENERATING FORESTS AND LIVELIHOODS IN NEPAL: A NEW LEASE ON LIFE UNFOLDING THE EXPERIENCE OF 20 YEARS OF POVERTY ALLEVIATION THROUGH LEASEHOLD FORESTRY IN THE HIMALAYAS Published by The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) by arrangement with CABI CABI CABI Nosworthy Way 745 Atlantic Avenue Wallingford 8th Floor Oxfordshire OX10 8DE Boston, MA 02111 UK USA Tel: +44 (0)1491 832111 Tel: +1 617 682 9015 Fax: +44 (0)1491 833508 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.cabi.org The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) or of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) concerning the legal or developmental status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. 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FAO information products are available on the FAO website (www.fao.org/publications) and can be purchased through [email protected] © FAO and IFAD, 2015 ISBN: 978 1 78064 631 2 (CABI hardback edition) ISBN: 978 1 78064 632 9 (CABI paperback edition) ISBN: 978-92-5-108898-2 (FAO paperback edition) ISBN: 978-92-5-108899-9 (FAO hardback edition) Photo Credits: ©LFLP - FAO - IFAD Photo Archives, LFLP staff, 1996-2014 Kaushal Shreshtra 2012-2014 Benoît Thierry, 2011-2014 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library, London, UK. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Thierry, Benoit. Title: Regenerating forests and livelihoods in Nepal : a new lease on life. Description: Boston, MA : CABI, 2015. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2015029263| ISBN 9781780646312 (hbk : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781780646329 (pbk : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Community forestry--Nepal. | Forest regeneration--Nepal. | Rural development--Nepal. Classification: LCC SD657..N4 T45 2015 | DDC 634.9/56095496--dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015029263 Commissioning editor: Caroline Makepeace Editorial assistant: Emma McCann Production editor: Tracy Head Printed and bound in the UK from copy supplied by the authors by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY. This page intentionally left blank Table of Contents Acronyms ...................................................................................... 08 List of tables, charts and pictures .................................................. 09 Preface-Foreword .......................................................................... 10 Introduction ................................................................................... 15 1 Rural Nepal: its people, its forests .............................................. 22 2 An initiative takes root – HLFFDP, the first leasehold forestry project ............................................................................................ 43 3 The initiative gathers force – LFLP, the second leasehold forestry project ............................................................................................ 58 4 Impacts of leasehold forestry .................................................... 116 5 Beyond the two projects, a national perspective and institutional context ......................................................................................... 150 6 When the programme leaves .................................................... 179 7 Conclusions .............................................................................. 213 About the Authors ....................................................................... 220 List of LFLP TA project publications ......................................... 228 References ................................................................................... 230 7 Acronyms BISEP-ST Biodiversity Sector Program for Siwaliks and Tarai CBFM Community Based Forest Management CFUG Community Forest User Group DFID Department for International Development DFO District Forest Office/Officer DoF Department of Forest Ex-ACT EX-Ante Carbon balance Tool FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations GDP Gross Domestic Product Ha Hectare HLFFDP Hill Leasehold Forestry and Forage Development Project ICIMOD International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development IPS Inter Press Service LFLP Leasehold Forestry and Livestock Programme LFP Livelihoods and Forestry Programme LFUG Leasehold Forestry Users Group MAPs Medicinal and Aromatic Plants MFSC Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation MSFP Multi Stakeholder Forestry Program NGO Non-governmental Organization NPC National Planning