From Reflection to Action: Community-Led Agroecology for Soil Restoration in Dhusa, Ichhakamana RM, Chitwan

Dhusa, Ichhakamana Rural Municipality, Chitwan, is the current project site where ForestAction Nepal has been implementing the Soil Restoration through Agroecology initiative. After a year of sustained engagement with the community, an annual reflection meeting was held in the first week of January. A major outcome of this meeting was the formal formation of a Community Action Group (CAG) to advance agroecology-based soil restoration.

The CAG comprises nine core members (seven women and two men) from Dhusa, reflecting a strong community-led commitment to sustaining field-level experimentation, strengthening peer learning, and gradually expanding agroecology-based practices across the wider landscape. By centering farmers’ knowledge and lived experiences, the group aims to demonstrate how locally adapted agroecological practices can regenerate soils, reduce dependency on external inputs, and enhance long-term farm resilience.

Following its formation, a planning meeting was held on 13 January 2026 in the presence of ForestAction project team and CAG members. Grounded in the principles of Participatory Action Research and Learning (PAR), the project team facilitated discussions on the importance of co-learning and co-creating knowledge. CAG members shared their experiences of learning alongside fellow farmers and neighbors, with technical support from the team provided as needed. Members collectively agreed that learning through the adoption and practice of agroecological techniques at the community level would contribute to improved soil health while strengthening resilience and self-reliance.

The meeting also clarified the roles and responsibilities of both CAG members and the project team. In addition, CAG members were supported to independently document and maintain their own meeting minutes, further reinforcing local ownership and leadership.

The meeting further identified priority interventions for the next phase, including composting, vermicomposting, seed trials (cucumber and beans), mulching, green manuring, biopesticide preparation, and Azolla cultivation. Each participating farmer has committed a portion of their land for on-farm trials, reinforcing the principle of learning through practice and generating evidence under local conditions.

To support this process, ForestAction Nepal will provide technical assistance and facilitate access to essential inputs, including vermi worms and seeds from verified sources for trials and green manuring.

Through the CAG, agroecology is being promoted not only as a set of practices but also as a long-term pathway for soil restoration, farmer empowerment, and community-led transformation of local food systems.

Fostering agroecology for soil restoration and biodiversity conservation through a community-led approach in Ichhakamana Rural Municipality

ForestAction Nepal’s agricultural team recently visited Ichhakamana Rural Municipality, where productive meetings were held with local farmers and farmer groups to explore opportunities for promoting agroecology, specifically focusing on soil restoration and biodiversity conservation. The team discussed the challenges faced by farmers, such as soil degradation and declining fertility, and how agroecological practices like crop rotation, organic farming, and agroforestry could address these issues. Emphasis was placed on restoring soil health through composting, mulching, and the use of bio-fertilizers, while also promoting biodiversity through intercropping and protecting pollinators.

The importance of a community-led approach to implementing these practices was highlighted, with farmer-led demonstration plots, training sessions, workshops, and capacity-building efforts identified as key strategies to strengthen local knowledge.

A significant outcome of the meeting was the agreement to develop a collaborative action plan, that ensures farmers are actively engaged at every stage, from planning and implementation to monitoring and evaluating progress.

Additionally, a meeting was held with the agriculture section of Ichhakamana Rural Municipality, where we provided an update on the discussions with the farmers’ groups, as we will be collaborating with the municipality in this initiative.