New publication focuses on regenerating forests and livelihoods in Nepal
An innovative initiative in Nepal aimed at reducing rural poverty while re-greening degraded forest lands is the subject of a new book published by the Government of Nepal, FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI).
Regenerating forests and livelihoods in Nepal - A new lease on life takes a close look at the country's 20-year experience with leasehold forestry, including the Leasehold Forestry and Livestock Programme, supported by IFAD and FAO.
Through the leasehold model, state-owned, severely degraded forest lands are handed over to Nepal's poorest and most marginalized households, in a targeted and participatory manner, to help them meet their basic livelihood needs. The 40-year renewable leases oblige those households to protect the lands from open grazing, forest fires and soil erosion in order to promote the regrowth − and new planting − of trees, shrubs and grasses. In turn, the communities are allowed to harvest key goods such as fodder, and non-timber forest products like cardamom.
"It's been a way for women and men in poor communities to have a real stake in the rehabilitation and management of natural resources," said Jim Hancock, an FAO natural resources officer and one of the book's authors.
"What's interesting is that it's not just about forests, but also about supporting livelihoods that people in remote areas can do like raising goats and producing fodder and forage closer to their homes," he said. "It also helps reduce the time women spend carrying heavy loads every day."
"I've seen communities cover vast areas of once barren, rocky lands with broom grass," he added, referring to the plant gathered to make the widely used brooms sold throughout Nepal and northern India. "It helps stabilize the soils and provides people with a productive livelihood."
Taking stock
The book takes stock of what has − and hasn't − worked well over the years and why. It weaves first-person accounts from farmers, government staff and project officers with the history and impact of leasehold forestry in Nepal.
"There's been so much intense learning at the community and practitioner level," said Hancock. "We really wanted their voices to be heard."
Commitment from all sides − the Government, communities, development partners − has been strong from the get-go.
"Even during the country's deepest conflict about 10 years ago, the Government continued the leasehold forestry programme for a few years without any donor support," he said, adding that the programme has also seen greater collaboration between Nepal's Department of Forestry and Department of Livestock.
And the long-term tenure has given forest communities more confidence over the natural resources and what they can do with them.
"The leases in other countries provided to community members in forest areas are usually much shorter and more uncertain, or for the community as a whole", he said. "So this has really been innovative from the Government's side."
The book discusses complementarities and opportunities for linking leasehold forestry and wider community forestry, also on a landscape level.
Drawing on lessons
While the successes and challenges, including the way forward, are specific to Nepal, FAO and IFAD hope the book will have wider appeal for people working with forest communities on poverty reduction, livelihood and natural resource management programmes.
"Without being prescriptive and saying you have to do A, B and C, we are showing what one group of people did intensely for many years and the lessons and results they had", said Hancock.
Countries like India, the Philippines and Thailand, for example, have social forestry programmes and policies. And they face similar challenges − from making sure the poorest households are included to understanding if communities are actually benefitting from the resources they are allowed to manage.
"We hope people will be inspired by the story in Nepal, that it will give them some new ideas and help them understand what they may have to overcome to have a positive impact, including commitment and willingness to innovate among communities and practitioners", he said.