Environmental research

Mamethang under Dorona Geog and Samtengang under Gesarling geog of Dagana Dzongkhag are remotely located and plagued by numerous problems. The farmers who were dependent of rain water for cultivation due to lack of irrigation facilities are further affected by change in rainfall pattern and its variation. In the current years farmers left over 70% of their fallow. The communities are economically backward with great majority of the population living under poverty. The cardamom which is only a cash crop of the community was wiped out by viral disease ten years back. Most of them are re-settlers of different ethnicity. Therefore, the project aims to alleviate poverty through providing alternate sources of livelihood in the light of human-wildlife conflict and changing climatic conditions. The project will introduce new and better varieties of cardamom that require less water to be cultivated in the fallow land. This will provide farmers resilience in light of climate change and a good source of cash income. Project objectives: 1.To conserve cardamom landraces in-situ and rehabilitate natural cardamom plantation for enhanced household income generation 2.Strengthen rural livelihood and resilience to climate change 3.To introduce high-value low-volume cash crops, farming equipments and infrastructures to bring down the percentage fallow land to less than 10%. 4.To bring different ethnic group of re-settler together and build a harmonious social community. Key project activities: 1.Farmers` training on Sustainable Land Management and biodiversity conservation 2.Farmers` training on crop diversification and management 3.Development of community forestry 4.Plantation of 2000 high value timber trees and 700 fruits and nuts (native to the location) 5.Plantation of cardamom on fallow land (land left fallow due to less water and erratic rainfall) 6.Rain water harvesting and rehabilitation of irrigation channel 7.Group formation and development of bylaws

Bhutan