Environmental policy and administrative management

Like in other Asian countries, terracing has been longest used techniques in Nepal which was has been passed on generations to generations. There are two types of terraces in the Nepal, a) used with riser bund for rice cultivation (known as khet land) and b) outer slopping land for other crops such as maize, millet and beans (known as bari land). Khet lands are made where sufficient water supply is available for irrigating rice. This type of terrace is formed in the valley bottom and near to water courses. Bari lands are generally formed in haphazard ways. Forest areas are cleared and burning of dried vegetation practiced prior to cultivation. Cultivation after burning is normally practiced with some weak barrier of weeds at the lower side hopping that it will retain some silts and forms bunds and effectively becomes risers in the longer run. Without any other mechanical aids such as stone wall, terraces are formed taking longer time even at the magnitude of decades if not years. The project site consists of old outward slopping terraces. Local farmers have been cultivating for more than two decades contributing soil erosion onto downstream residents. The major transporting agent is Malekhu khola which is one of the tributaries of river Trishuli. The khola on its alluvial fans on the either sides along the course accommodates highly fertile lands which also threatened from soil erosion on steep cultivated lands. Most prominently, debris flows and small gully erosion are the most damaging factor to the natural vegetation on steep marginal land between the edge of bari and khet land at the base of slope. Erosion also contributing to continuous degradation of said lands in the longer run mainly because of washing down of soil nutrients hence reducing of productivity of lands. This has affected adversely to the livelihoods of the project area and forcing the residents to forest clearance and steep land cultivation mostly unmanaged and unscientific farming practices. The project will demonstrate on "soil erosion control and sustainable land husbandry on outward slopping terraced lands thus soil nutrient is retained and productivity of lands is increased thus decreasing human pressure on nearby forest clearance and imminent threat of land degradation is minimised. The project will also involve grass root stakeholders in generating local jobs; earning wages and initiating of saving and credits to generate seed money for running of Income Generating Activities for securing sustainable livelihoods of the selected group of peoples".

Nepal