Environmental policy and administrative management

The two VDCs Thulosirubari and Sanagchowk typically represent the Mid-hills of Nepal. There are five community forests (CF) and more than 15 leasehold forests (LF) of varying size. The average are of CF is about 25 ha per groups and that of LF is less than 0.7 ha/HH. Majority of CFs are middle aged forests dominated by Sal (along the river side), followed by pine plantation and Chilaune and Katus in the higher elevation. Two semi-perennial streams Aisen khola and Chap khola drain the project area. Open land or gaps and the boundary of both CF and LFs are planted with fiber plants mainly agave, amirso sabai and a total of five has land have been planted with improved varieties of grass such as style Napier, and molasses. Land use practices, use of chemical fertilizers and the unplanned construction of rural roads are the major factors for land degradation in the project area. During the last four years more than 20 km of rural roads has been constructed without any protection measure to soil conservation. Because of this, a significant portion of undisturbed land in the down hill side ( about 15%) has been washed away from the flash flood in the rainy season and large heap of sediments has been deposited in another 15% of agriculture land. In totality about 10 ha of forests and 5 ha of land has been heavily degraded from unplanned road construction during the last four years. Similarly use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is also in increasing trend, The annual use of chemical fertilizers and insecticides/pesticides in 2009 was 2.2 MT and 400 kg respectively which as about 35% more as compared to 2007 ( COMFORTC, 2009). One third of households in the project site are food insufficient and most of the poor and vulnerable groups have few assets (e.g. land, finance, and livestock) and little education. As a consequence, their main source of income is low-skill wage labor. However, employment opportunities are limited in rural areas, and the poor and vulnerable often resort to different coping mechanisms (including migration and indebtedness). Their capacity to organize and interact with other stakeholders in the value chains is limited. Their low education and social status usually prevents them from gaining access to markets (for labor), and to credit and programs that might improve their condition. The limited access to social services (health, education, water) aggravates the plight often arising from their exposure to different types of risk (e.g. disease, natural calamities and accidents). to assess vulnerability; identify and implement adaptation measures to mitigate the impacts of climate change in rural farming system; Thus the project aim to facilitate mutually beneficial and profitable production and marketing arrangements between producers of high value commodities and agro-forestry business through pro-poor value chain development and organic farming; and also to assess their vulnerability and implement adaptation measure to mitigate the climate change in rural farming system.

Nepal