Category: News

National Sharing Workshop on Economic Empowerment of Women through Forest Solutions

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The National Sharing Workshop on Economic Empowerment of Women through Forest Solutions held in Kathmandu, marked the culmination of a 30-month project. Throughout its journey, the initiative empowered over 240 rural marginalized women entrepreneurs, fostering their economic, social, and technological capacities through diverse training sessions and capacity-building activities. Despite facing challenges, the project persevered and successfully achieved its objectives.

The workshop aimed to:

– Facilitate Knowledge Sharing: Disseminate project insights, best practices, and lessons learned to stakeholders.

– Celebrate Achievements: Commemorate the accomplishments and contributions of entrepreneurs, stakeholders, and the project team.

– Reflect and Evaluate: Assess project outcomes, identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.

– Disseminate Results: Share the project’s findings with a broader audience through presentations and case studies, inspiring similar initiatives.

Diverse stakeholders, including representatives from the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, consortium partners like AFFON, FenFit, HIMAWANTI, as well as NGOs and INGOs, actively participated. Their engagement enriched discussions, providing valuable feedback and fostering a supportive environment.

A key topic, led by Kanchan Lama, the Principal Investigator, provided an overview of the project, highlighting objectives, study areas, and the operation of 11 different enterprise models, resulting in 18 forest-based enterprises, nine of which were officially registered. Collaboration with government and non-government entities was emphasized.

Major project interventions, including women empowerment initiatives, forest management training, exposure visits, and climate-resilient leadership training, were explained. The project’s involvement in Gender Just and Climate Financing discussions, as well as its contribution to policy formulation in international conferences, was underscored. Robust knowledge dissemination strategies were highlighted to enhance stakeholders’ understanding of the challenges and successes faced by marginalized women entrepreneurs.

The workshop concluded with a shared vision of promoting sustainable economic empowerment and resilience among women entrepreneurs in forest communities. In his closing remarks, Rahul Karki echoed a widespread perception that understanding community forests requires research or visiting Nepal. He also envisioned a future where women-owned forest-based enterprises attract global attention as exemplars of sustainable practices.

Empowering smallholder farmers through the promotion of the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS)

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ForestAction Nepal has been collaborating with the Organic Farmers Federation Chitwan (OFFC), a group of prominent organic farmers in Chitwan, to promote agroecology over the past few years.

A crucial component of this agroecology promotion campaign is the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS), an alternative and reliable certification process designed for smallholder farmers. PGS involves a group of farmers collectively establishing and implementing their own quality assurance system based on active participation, transparency, and mutual trust. This system not only offers a more affordable and accessible organic certification option for small-scale producers but also strengthens local community networks and promotes sustainable agriculture practices. Overall, PGS empowers smallholder farmers by enabling them to demonstrate the quality and authenticity of their products in the market.

In line with the goal of promoting the PGS system among smallholder farmers, ForestAction Nepal organized a half-day interactive session on March 21, 2024, at the District Agriculture Development Office (DADO) in Bharatpur, Chitwan, to discuss the promotion of the PGS through the formation of a PGS committee at the municipal level. The session was attended by OFFC farmers, municipal-level agricultural technicians, and the head of DADO. The discussion focused on the opportunities presented by PGS and the challenges that need to be addressed in expanding the PGS committee at the municipal level.

 

Managing Invasive Species in Community Forests for Forest Restoration and Sustainable Agriculture

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Biodiversity Integration in Community Forest Operation Plan Training for Forestry Officials

In a bid to safeguard the ecological integrity of Nepal’s prized Barandabhar forest corridor, government officials from various districts convened a training event aimed at integrating biodiversity conservation and invasive species management into community forest operation plans and regulatory frameworks. Organized by Forest Action Nepal (FAN) with support from the International Climate Initiative and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, the event saw participation from key stakeholders including Division Forest Offices, the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MoFE) Bagmati Province, and conservation organizations. Technical sessions led by experts underscored the urgency of addressing invasive alien plant species (IAPS) threats, emphasizing the need for concrete policy measures and proactive management strategies. Notable presentations highlighted the ecological significance of the forest corridor and showcased successful interventions from ongoing projects. Driven by a collective recognition of the looming challenges posed by invasive species and anthropogenic activities, government officials vowed to prioritize biodiversity conservation and implement targeted measures for sustainable forest management. With a commitment to integrating valuable insights from the event into forthcoming regulations and action plans, stakeholders are poised to reinforce the resilience of Nepal’s natural ecosystems for generations to come.

International Conference on Revitalising Community Forestry in the Era of Socio-Environmental Crisis

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The International Conference on ‘Revitalizing Community Forestry in the Era of Socio-environmental Crisis’ convened in Kathmandu, Nepal, on March 4th and 5th, 2024. The conference was a joint collaboration of the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Government of Nepal, and the Australian Government (through ACIAR) along with partners including EnLiFT2 project, Institute of Forestry, Federation of Community Forest Users Nepal, and Agriculture and Forestry University. The primary aim of the conference was to discuss and address challenges and opportunities facing community forestry in Nepal.

Over 211 participants from 11 countries actively participated in diverse presentations and panel discussions led by esteemed speakers including Dr. David Ganz, Prof. Tapan Kumar Nath, Dr. Bimala Rai Paudyal, and Popular Gentle. Diverse themes including governance, silviculture/forest management, enterprise, among others, focusing on integrating policy, practice, and science to revitalize community forestry were discussed.

Keynote presentations by experts like Dr. Mary Hobley, Prof. Carsten Smith-Hall and Dr. Maheshwar Dhakal delivered insightful presentations highlighting the issues and challenges surrounding community forestry in the changing socio-economic scenario.


 

 

Training of Trainers (TOT) on Sustainable Forest Management

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Forests play a crucial role in supporting ecological balance, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development. With increasing pressure on forest resources mainly attributed to factors such as deforestation, illegal logging, and climate change, there is a pressing need to empower individuals with the expertise to promote responsible forest management practices.

With an aim to provide concepts on different areas of forest management including forest certification, forest inventory, silvicultural systems, harvesting techniques, and forest governance, EnLiFT2 organized a training of trainers (TOT) on sustainable forest management in Hetauda on 6-9 February, 2024. About 30 individuals representing Division Forest Offices including forest officers and technical staff, academia, NGOs, and practitioners, participated in the training.

The TOT involved a comprehensive program designed to equip participants with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to become effective trainers in the field of forest management. This training aims to address the growing need for capacity building in sustainable forest management to promote sustainable practices, enhance forest conservation efforts, and mitigate environmental degradation.

The training covered a wide range of topics with a blend of theoretical insights, practical exercises, and interactive discussions on sustainable forest management.

Exposure visit: Cross project learnings and sharing on women-led enterprises

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The EnLiFT2 project in Nepal’s Kavrepalanchok and Sindhupalchok districts has been actively engaging in actions to improve forest management and promote gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) within community forestry. As part of these efforts, an exposure visit was organized from January 24th to 27th, 2024, targeting women leaders from various Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs), Local Government (LG), and the Federation of Community Forests Users in Nepal (FECOFUN). The visit aimed to enhance participants’ understanding of women’s empowerment opportunities through community forestry, particularly focusing on income-generating interventions and collaborative efforts between CFUGs and LGs.

A total of 24 women leaders participated, representing different CFUGs and local government bodies. The objectives of the visit included observing Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) based women-led enterprises in project sites of Economic Empowerment of Women through Forest Solutions in Nawalparasi, sharing and learning from cross-project experiences, and understanding the potential for collaboration between LGs and CFUGs in fostering forest and NTFP-based enterprises for women’s economic empowerment.

The visits  centered on various women-led enterprises, including Thakal and broom enterprise in Namuna CFUG, bio cups and plates enterprise in Amarjyoti CFUG, and Triphala enterprise in Shankhadev CFUG, among others. Participants engaged in discussions with entrepreneurs, CFUG members, and local government representatives, exploring topics such as entrepreneurship development, resource management, market access, and sustainability.

Key reflections from participants highlighted the importance of realizing the economic potential of forest resources, the need for skills development training, and the significance of selecting enterprises based on available resources and community interests for sustainable operation. Participants also emphasized the importance of connecting women’s enterprises with CFUGs, ensuring a rigorous beneficiary selection process, and enhancing awareness among community members about resource availability and market potential.

Overall, the exposure visit provided valuable insights into successful women-led enterprises, collaborative efforts between stakeholders, and the potential for replicating such models in participants’ respective communities. It also underscored the importance of continuous learning, capacity building, and strategic partnerships in promoting women’s economic empowerment and sustainable forest management within community forestry contexts.

   

   

   

   

Second cohort of Youth leadership training

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ForestAction Nepal successfully organized a week-long (07-11 March 2024) leadership training on Environment and Biodiversity Conservation. The training was organized in the midst of biodiversity rich forest of Barandabhar corridor of Chitwan and in an indigenous Tharu settlement. The primary objective was to support leadership development on environmental issues among youth. The training focused on proximate and underlying causes and socio-ecological consequences of the most pressing environmental problems of our time- biodiversity loss, climate crises and environmental pollution. Participants engaged in reflective activities which aimed in building a holistic perspective on the complex relationship among economic growth, development, biodiversity conservation, human rights and environmental crises.

The training was provided by over of dozen of different experts, both national and international, representing academia, environmental activists and conservation organizations and consisted of a mixed approach with blend of interactive lectures, engaging project work, learning oriented exposure visits, panel discussion, book reviews and in-depth discussion on how the modern development leaves its footprints on the environment. Participants were also familiarized around the dominant narratives and pervasive myths around environment and development.

The training was held in Bhimawoli HomeStay, a recently initiated services by indigenous Tharu community. Participants enjoyed Tharu foods, cultures, customs and traditions. Participants provided very good remarks on the learning outcomes of the program, making it a productive event. The training involved 27 participants, between age of 20-30 coming from a diverse cultural and educational backgrounds from various geographic region of Nepal.  Nearly a two thirds of the participants were girls.  The program was part of Darwin Initiative UK funded project “Linking Science to Management: Restoring Community Forests in Nepal (Ref, 29-028)”.

  

“Another world is possible” – World Social Forum, 2024

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This year, Nepal hosted the 16th edition of the World Social Forum in Kathmandu from February 15th to 19th. During the forum, ForestAction Nepal, the secretariat of the Alliance of Agriculture for Food, collaborated with allied organizations to create a significant presence by organizing various events focusing on themes such as food, agroecology, agrobiodiversity, and climate change.

ForestAction Nepal actively participated in the rally held during the opening ceremony on February 15th, showcasing banners and placards that highlighted the importance and challenges related to food, agroecology, biodiversity, agroforestry, and climate change.

In addition, ForestAction Nepal had an exhibition stall throughout the event, showcasing local and indigenous crops, technologies, photographs, and posters illustrating the unique farming systems in the Himalayas, Hills, Chure, and plains. This exhibition also highlighted the crucial contributions of women in agriculture within local communities through the display of photographs. The stall attracted a significant number of visitors who appreciated the displays and information presented.

On February 17th, a regional discussion forum titled “Food Justice” was organized to discuss the global food crisis, emphasize the necessity of food democracy, raise concerns about food security, and establish networks for broader solidarity. On the same day, a drama called “Sattapatta” was showcased to convey a message about the impact of the modern farming system on our indigenous and traditional knowledge, technologies, soil, seed, and including human health.

On February 18th, an excursion tour to Nalinchwok, Bhaktapur, was organized aiming to foster meaningful networks and partnerships for future collaborations on campaigns addressing social, economic, and environmental challenges. This excursion was followed by the theatrical performance “Hiuko Prithivi Yatra,” a narrative focusing on environmental destruction, presented at the Shiplee Theatre in Battisputali.

 

 

 

 

 

Second Module of Immersion Course on Madesh for Social Transformation

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ForestAction Nepal/ AAF in collaboration with Centre for Educational Policies and Practices (CEPP) and Nepal Madesh Foundation (NEMAF) jointly organized and facilitated the second series of “Immersion Course on Madesh for Social Transformation ”. Five -day long training session was successfully completed in Lalghad leprosy hospital, Dhanusha from 13–18 March 2024 with a total number of 17 participants. The training approach incorporated a mix of different learning techniques, such as PowerPoint slides, engaging discussions, collaborative group activities, and informational videos.

Throughout this series, the central focus was on environmental issues, with participants delving into the complexities of our current environmental challenges. Participants explored critical questions concerning the world’s ecosystems, the delicate balance of the atmosphere and carbon cycle, fluctuations in the water table, and their interrelation with climate patterns. Various individuals from different fields, including environmental activists, teachers, international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), government officials and Members of Parliament shared their personal experiences and stories of overcoming challenges to achieve success. During the session, participants were also provided with essential life skills, including first aid education and techniques. There were extensive discussions on reproductive health knowledge, covering a wide range of topics. Basic methods for data analyzing and conducting Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) were discussed during the session, how locally available resources can be used as tools to analyze data.

In conclusion, participants departed from the training equipped with a deeper understanding of the problems and challenges surrounding environmental issues.

Discussion program on the loss of agrobiodiversity and the possible crisis

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Alliance of Agriculture for Food (AAF) in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture (DoA), Centre for Crop Development and Agrobiodiversity Conservation (CCDABC), and Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LiBIRD) organised a discussion program entitled “Discussion program on the loss of agrobiodiversity and the possible crisis” at DoA on 19 January 2024. In the context of the National Agrobiodiversity Day and a weeklong celebration of agrobiodiversity, as decided by the government of Nepal.

The discussion was chaired by AAF coordinator Mr Uddhav Adhikari and moderated by Dr Naya Sharma Paudel. It was aimed to have an intensive discussion among concerned policymakers and stakeholders on the upcoming environmental and food crisis caused by the loss of agrobiodiversity to raise attention to the issue. Around 50 participants involved in the field of Agrobiodiversity, including government actors, academics, civil society actors, farmers, activists, media personnel and students participated and contributed to the discussion program.

Firstly, Mr Megha Nath Timilsina (Head of CCDABC) presented the status and the Government’s efforts on Agro-biodiversity conservation. Secondly, Dr. Lila Sharma presented on wild foods and the importance of forest-based agrobiodiversity.

Major concerns/remarks presented during the discussion

• Changes in food habits and money/profit-oriented agricultural production are contributing to the loss of several local seeds and foods
• Biodiversity conservation but with economic benefits only has created some problems despite having huge potential of the rich biodiversity of hills.
• Need to use Research, education and extension to promote Agroecology. Universities are making some efforts but still struggling with limited options for widely sharing the findings and learning.
• Policies and programs are not well tailored to conserving agrobiodiversity and diverse food. Also, agriculture and education are not well connected. Despite some improvement in the existing curriculum, it is not adequate particularly to promote agriculture for food first.
• Conservation of agrobiodiversity is not prioritized by the government as much as it needed to due to the priority provided to the promotion of intensive and single cropping systems.
• Inadequate investment and efforts are given to Agriculture education and research to promote local (landraces). Most farmers are doing it by themselves.
• Policies and programs should be influenced by local learnings and also should be formulated to support local communities and practices.
• Need to promote locally produced food for daily consumption including in school meals.
• Forest-based foods should also be conserved and promoted.
• Farmers leaving farming is partly attributed to the government’s policies and programs of promoting chemical fertilizers, pesticides and hybrid seeds in the name of subsidy and to increase production.
• Inadequate research and data collection and analysis.
• To encourage the conservation and promotion of agrobiodiversity, there is a need to raise public awareness to consume local foods and diversify the varieties, provide subsidies to farmers etc.

Finally, the discussion was summed up by Mr Bharat Bhandari. Mr Uddhav Adhikari, the chair, concluded the program with a vote of thanks. Additionally, he reemphasised the need to define commercial farming and reminded us of the destruction made by monoculture and chemical-based farming practices on soil.

     

     

“Bilaudai Hiude Jhari”: Losing the winter rain

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The reliance on fossil fuel extraction, exploitation of nature, and monoculture farming systems based on synthetic chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides has led to an escalation in greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, there has been a rise in atmospheric temperatures, accompanied by erratic rainfall patterns. This shift in the annual precipitation cycle, notably with reduced winter rainfall, has profoundly impacted agricultural practices.

To address these pressing concerns, an informal discussion was convened by the Alliance of Agriculture for Food (AAF) in collaboration with Chitwan Kachahari on second of February 2024, in Chitwan. Approximately 20 participants, including experts in climate science, sustainable agriculture, local and national media journalists, and organic farmers, were present.

Dr. Jiwan Kshetry initiated the discussion by highlighting the climate crisis and the changing rainfall patterns, citing the INSO Index. He underscored the alarming increase in temperatures and its correlation with precipitation. Over the past 23 years (2000 to 2023), there has been a significant temperature rise of 1.48 percent. Dr. Kshetry illustrated the devastating impact of such changes, citing the floods in Sikkim last year and attributing these shifts to phenomena like El Niño.

Activist Dr. Krishna Prasad Paudel emphasized that over 50 percent of Nepali farmers still depend on rainfall for agriculture. However, changing precipitation patterns, particularly the absence of winter rainfall, pose a grave threat, potentially leading to severe food crises and increased migration. Dr. Paudel advocated for systemic changes in agriculture to address these challenges.

Chandra Prasad Adhikari, a 66-year-old organic farmer, lamented the disappearance of winter rainfall, which was beneficial for farming. He recounted the struggles faced by farmers, including the drying up of maize crops in Chitwan due to drought. Adhikari stressed the importance of conserving local seeds and traditional agricultural knowledge as essential components of climate-resilient agriculture.

Dr. Ishwari Prasad Kadria, a professor at the Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU) in Rampur, highlighted the adverse effects of temperature increase on both agriculture and livestock. He noted a rise in cattle infertility and the dwindling of water sources in mountainous regions, which has negatively impacted animal husbandry. Dr. Kadria advocated for the promotion of improved varieties of local seeds and knowledge to mitigate these effects.

Similarly, Dr. Himal Luitel, another professor at AFU, pointed out the escalating cancer rates attributed to increased consumption of chemical-laden food products. He raised concerns about the theoretical focus of agricultural education, advocating for a shift towards more practical, skills-based training.

The discussion concluded with participants like Sagar Karki, Sarita Tiwari, and Pratima Silwal expressing their concerns regarding food security and climate change, underscoring the need for collaborative action and sustainable solutions.

First Module of Immersion Course on Madesh for Social Transformation

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Since 2010, the Alliance of Agriculture of Food (AAF)/ForestAction Nepal has been organizing the Apprenticeship Modular Course. The course aims to build the capacity of farmers, activists, youth, agriculture students, and others interested in engaging in the campaign “Agriculture for Food.” After successfully completing its 8th series in mid-2023, AAF/ForestAction Nepal has collaborated with the Center for Educational Policies and Practices (CEPP) and Madesh Foundation, and has commenced a new series, titled “Immersion Course on Madesh for Social Transformation.”

This modular training course will consist of three modules and aims to prepare the leadership capable of analyzing society through the lens of social and environmental justice. It primarily targets participants from the Madesh Province, particularly from Dalit and Muslim communities.

In this regard, the first module of this series, themed ” Evolution,” was conducted from November 27th to December 1st, 2023 at Lalgadh Leprosy Trust in Dhanusha. A total of 25 youths actively participated in this training, which covered various topics such as evolution, diversity and discrimination, Madesh, state and governance.

To ensure efficient learning, multiple teaching pedagogies, including PowerPoint presentations, group work and presentations, plenary discussions, and limited lectures, were used during the sessions. Games related to the subject were also employed to facilitate participants’ understanding of the issues. Throughout the five-day session, participants actively engaged in the thematic sessions, leading to effective learning and the gaining of various useful life skills.

This module marked a successful conclusion, with participants actively contributing to the training and gaining valuable knowledge in the process.

 

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