Environmental policy and administrative management

The inhabitants of Maidi village, in Dhadhing district, are mostly from Newar and Magar ethnic groups. These ethnic groups depend on traditional agricultural practices and local resources for their livelihoods. The major agricultural products of Maidi village are rice, maize, millet, mango, banana and litchi. The village however faces severe negative impacts from increasing use of chemical fertilizers in vegetable farming, unmethodical operation practices of small and large business firms, reduced economic opportunities for the locals, deforestation (allegedly for development purposes) and depletion/destruction of natural resources. Massive use of chemical fertilizers, known to result in boom-and-bust pattern, has degraded Maidi s land quality and has threatened human health. It has also questioned Maidi s development pattern and sustainability of agricultural production. A solution to this problem is to use organic fertilizers, which are well known for their ability to increase physical and biological nutrient storage mechanisms in soils. These can lower the risks of over-fertilization. Organic fertilizers, as are produced via renewable methods, also promise long term sustainability. The planning grants would be applied to prepare proposal which would also quantify the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticide, approach to organic farming, income generation and strategy to increase women s participation.

Nepal