Forest will continue to degrade if indigenous people and local community's rights to sustainable forest management are not ensured. Community forest management is a viable regime to address this issue. However, there are limited studies on differences among Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs) in terms of population, forest condition and resource availability. The CFUGs with natural or plantation forest in Kailali and Kanchanpur of Nepal's far-western Tarai have varied experiences in conservation and use of forest products. They are diverse in terms of population composition and resource endowment. The CFUGs with natural forest are more resourceful than those with plantation forest. The CFUGs with plantation forest have high population pressure per household and unit area of CF. Men and hill migrants have dominated the decision making positions and processes more in the CFUGs with natural forest. The CFUGs with natural forest are relatively in the better-off position in terms of forest area available per household, forest product available from the mature forest and income generation from distribution of forest products outside and with in the CFUGs. The CFUGs with plantation forest less availability of forest products from young forest resulting in high population pressure on government managed forest and other sources to meet their demands. Thus, the government should devise separate policies to evaluate and support the 'natural' and 'plantation' forests. Analysis of demand and supply of forest products in CFUGs and their networking will help meet the demand of various segments of the CFUG and also neighbouring communities. The forest authorities and federations of CFUGs have important role to analyse demand and supply, and make provisions for distribution of forest products within and outside CFUGs. External support to provide biogas and improved cooking stoves would be imperative to reduce forest product consumption. Promotion of non-timber forest products in both natural and plantation forests would help conserve forest, generate income and develop ownership among the users for sustainable forest management. Promotion of agroforestry and private forestry would help increase the supply of forest products and adopt livestock stall feeding practice. The provision of leasehold and private property rights and their transferability within and outside CF management regimes will help benefit the poor for sustainable resource management.
Under progress
My Brief Biography
- BASAN SHRESTHA
- I am Basan Shrestha from Kathmandu, Nepal. I am a development professional with expertise in socio-economic research, monitoring and documentation. I hold 3 master degrees 1) MSc in Regional and Rural Development Planning, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, 2002; 2) MSc in Statistics, Tribhuvan University (TU), Kathmandu, Nepal, 1995; and 3) MA in Sociology, TU, 1997. I have gained professional experience for more than 10 years in socio-economic research, monitoring and documentation on agricultural and natural resource management. I had worked in Lumle Agricultural Research Centre, western Nepal from 1997 to 2000; CARE Nepal (SAGUN Program), mid-western Nepal from 2003 to 2006 and Western Terai Landscape Complex Project in far-western Nepal from 2006 onwards. I have published some articles to my credit. With my sound academic background and professional experience, I am much encouraged to undertake PhD to explore equity in Community Forest Management analysing both procedural and distributional aspects. Your kind cooperation, if any, to link with the concerned personnel and authorities would be instrumental and appreciated.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Capacity building with the financial support
Capacity building coupled with the financial support helps develop entrepreneurship. Chandra Bahadur Thapa, a young resident of Amarbasti, Basisebichawa-9, Kanchanpur is busy these days in his carpentry workshop and providing service to the communities. This has been possible with the entrepreneurship training he attended and the loan he received from Mohana Laljhadi Area Saving and Credit Cooperative Ltd., Baisebichawa. He earns two to three hundreds per day for his support to the households in the community. Income from his workshop is extra. He has hired two trainees to support him in his workshop and pays one hundred rupees per day to each of them.
In 2007, Western Terai Landscape Complex Project (WTLCP) had organised the entrepreneurship development training for the poor community members to develop their knowledge and skill on entrepreneurship. The training was conducted with the expectation that entrepreneurship will help increase income and reduce dependency of communities on forest resources contributing to biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods. Mohana Laljhadi Area Coordination Committee had selected the participants of the training based on the outcomes of participatory well-being ranking.
After receiving training, Chandra received a loan of seven thousand rupees from Mohana Laljhadi Area Cooperative at the interest rate of eight percent per year so long as the loan has to be paid back within two years. Chandra purchased carpentry tools such as driller and saw with that sum of money, which had been helpful to scale up his profession. He has already payed back the money lent from the cooperative within the stipulated time. "I am encouraged to well equip my workshop. For that purpose, I have requested Mohana Laljhadi Area Cooperative for second loan", says Chandra. He is a member of Amar Gokul proposed Community Forest User Group and actively participates in forest conservation as well.
On the whole, building capacity is necessary but not sufficient to develop entrepreneurship. Community people adopt a profession if it is suitable to one's interest and skill and rewarding economically, socially and environmentally. The entrepreneurship that is based on mobilising local resource persons and materials will be more sustainable.
In 2007, Western Terai Landscape Complex Project (WTLCP) had organised the entrepreneurship development training for the poor community members to develop their knowledge and skill on entrepreneurship. The training was conducted with the expectation that entrepreneurship will help increase income and reduce dependency of communities on forest resources contributing to biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods. Mohana Laljhadi Area Coordination Committee had selected the participants of the training based on the outcomes of participatory well-being ranking.
After receiving training, Chandra received a loan of seven thousand rupees from Mohana Laljhadi Area Cooperative at the interest rate of eight percent per year so long as the loan has to be paid back within two years. Chandra purchased carpentry tools such as driller and saw with that sum of money, which had been helpful to scale up his profession. He has already payed back the money lent from the cooperative within the stipulated time. "I am encouraged to well equip my workshop. For that purpose, I have requested Mohana Laljhadi Area Cooperative for second loan", says Chandra. He is a member of Amar Gokul proposed Community Forest User Group and actively participates in forest conservation as well.
On the whole, building capacity is necessary but not sufficient to develop entrepreneurship. Community people adopt a profession if it is suitable to one's interest and skill and rewarding economically, socially and environmentally. The entrepreneurship that is based on mobilising local resource persons and materials will be more sustainable.
Biogas-An Effective Means of Reducing Fuelwood
"Biogas has reduced the consumption of fuelwood as a cooking fuel to less than half ", says Alkaiya Chaudhari, a user of Chetana Women Community Forest User Group (CFUG) in Geta-3, Kailali. Alkaiya adds, "Previously we used to consume six to seven bhari of fuelwood per month (1 bhari is around 30 kg). Now, we need only three bhari and biogas is sufficient for cooking food for our family of 11, including four children." She owns two cattles, one buffalo and a biogas attached toilet for the supply of gas.
In February 2009, Western Terai Landscape Complex Project (WTLCP) provided a sum of five thousand rupees each to 13 households in Geta VDC to attach their toilets to biogas plant. Alkaiya is one them. The CFUG members identified those 13 households based on their demand, need and capability. To date, WTCLP has supported 217 households for biogas attached toilets along Mohana corridor in Dhangadhi municipality, Geta and Malakheti VDCs. WTLCP chanelised all supports to the communities through Mohana Kailali Community Forest Coordination Committee, Dhangadhi.
Biogas improves the environment in the homesteads. It reduces the flow of smoke in the kitchen and homestead improving the health of family member, particular the women who cook food. It lessens work burden to women to clear black dust in the cooking put. "Biogas reduces women's workload in other forms as well because women most often collect fuelwood from the forest", says Laxmi Joshi, the former Treasurer of Chetana Women CFUG. Women in that community spend two to three hours a day to collect fuelwood from Laljhadi forest in Kanchanpur. Women can take care of themselves and spare their saved time from reduced collection of fuelwood with their family members in their kitchen yards and homesteads.
On the whole, biogas is environmentally friendly, economically profitable and socially acceptable. It is effective to reduce the consumption of fuelwood. Attaching toilet to the biogas plan augments the supply of gas. Biogas has been an effective means to reduce women's drudgery. The increasing awareness of people and desire to install biogas attached toilet reveals that they are sensitive towards biodiversity conservation and improving livelihoods. The knowledge on appropriately preparing slurry and using the biogas will be an advantage to maximise the benefit from biogas.
In February 2009, Western Terai Landscape Complex Project (WTLCP) provided a sum of five thousand rupees each to 13 households in Geta VDC to attach their toilets to biogas plant. Alkaiya is one them. The CFUG members identified those 13 households based on their demand, need and capability. To date, WTCLP has supported 217 households for biogas attached toilets along Mohana corridor in Dhangadhi municipality, Geta and Malakheti VDCs. WTLCP chanelised all supports to the communities through Mohana Kailali Community Forest Coordination Committee, Dhangadhi.
Biogas improves the environment in the homesteads. It reduces the flow of smoke in the kitchen and homestead improving the health of family member, particular the women who cook food. It lessens work burden to women to clear black dust in the cooking put. "Biogas reduces women's workload in other forms as well because women most often collect fuelwood from the forest", says Laxmi Joshi, the former Treasurer of Chetana Women CFUG. Women in that community spend two to three hours a day to collect fuelwood from Laljhadi forest in Kanchanpur. Women can take care of themselves and spare their saved time from reduced collection of fuelwood with their family members in their kitchen yards and homesteads.
On the whole, biogas is environmentally friendly, economically profitable and socially acceptable. It is effective to reduce the consumption of fuelwood. Attaching toilet to the biogas plan augments the supply of gas. Biogas has been an effective means to reduce women's drudgery. The increasing awareness of people and desire to install biogas attached toilet reveals that they are sensitive towards biodiversity conservation and improving livelihoods. The knowledge on appropriately preparing slurry and using the biogas will be an advantage to maximise the benefit from biogas.
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