For Environment, Democracy and Livelihoods
As part of the BAGAR Project (Building Agroforestry-Based Adaptation Plans for Resilient Floodplains), a reconnaissance field visit was conducted from June 4 to 12, 2025, in Gadimai Municipality of Rautahat and Marin Rural Municipality of Sindhuli district. The main objective was to assess existing agroforestry practices in flood-prone communities and understand their role in mitigating flood risks and supporting fodder production. Through site observations, stakeholder consultations, and community-level discussions with both adopters and non-adopters of agroforestry, the team gathered critical insights into current models, local challenges, and adaptive strategies.
As the field sites represented two distinct geographic regions- Gadimai in the Terai and Marin in the Chure belt- slight differences in agroforestry practices were observed in their flood plain areas respectively. In Gadimai, agroforestry was largely practiced by individual farmers on private lands with their own indigenous knowledge, mainly in the form of aquaculture and boundary plantations. Agricultural cultivation was the primary activity, with minimal integration of tree species in floodplain areas commonly referred to as “Bagar Kheti”.
In contrast, Marin showcased community-based agroforestry practices, primarily within community forests managed by CFUGs. These included plantation of species such as banana, mango, jackfruit, lychee, lemon, and fodder grasses like ukhu ghas, amriso, ipil-ipil, kimbu contributing to both ecological restoration and livelihood support. Agroforestry practices were also observed on private lands, adopted by individual landowners adopting their own knowledge. The nature of floodplain-related challenges differed as well: Gadimai experiences large-scale seasonal flooding from the Bagmati River, while Marin, located in the fragile Chure landscape, faces both flooding and severe soil erosion, including riverbed cutting.
The visit reaffirmed that agroforestry practices such as boundary planting, riverbed agroforestry, and integrated aquaculture play a significant role in slope stabilisation, erosion control, and fodder availability. In riverbed agroforestry, farmers cultivate short-term crops like seasonal vegetables during the dry season while planting perennial species such as bamboo, banana, and Dalbergia sissoo along bunds and field edges.
Stakeholders, including municipal officials, CFUGs, farmers, and vulnerable groups, expressed enthusiastic interest in scaling up agroforestry interventions. However, integrated management plan, awareness, financial support, limited technical support, and market access remain key constraints to expansion. The findings from this field visit will inform the development of localized, evidence-based adaptation plans to enhance climate resilience in Nepal’s flood-affected regions.
