Community Forestry is advancing in Dolakha,
Ramechap and Okhaldhunga district
• Nepal Swiss Community Forestry Project is in operation since 1990. Up until July 2003, a
total of 102, 000 household members have been organized into 763 Forest User Groups
(FUGs) in the three districts. By the end of the fourth phase in July 2004, it is estimated
that there would be about 800 FUGs in the three districts managing about 75,000 ha
community forests. This constitutes about 49% of the potential community forests covering
approximately 79% of the total districts’ population.
• One of the big achievements of SDC funded community forestry programme has been its
contribution to support communities and Department of Forest to work together for
reversing the rate of deforestation. As a result, in the three districts, there are visible
improvements to forest condition in existing natural forests. In addition, many Community
Forest User Groups have created innovative and viable income generation activities such
as cardamom farming, production of Nepali hand-made paper and cultivation of medicinal
herbs (jari buti) and fibre plants such as Lokta and Argeli in community forests and on their
farms.
• Community forest user groups have become the vehicle of community development. Many
Forest User Groups are increasingly involved in the development of community level
physical infrastructure using their community funds to build and maintain schools, roads,
drinking water, bridges, water mills, community buildings, community utensils, health aids,
and so on.
• Many groups in the Project area have been able to fund micro credit schemes; provide
scholarships to poor students; funded infrastructure projects; provided loans to poor user
members and organised forest management related training with their own community
fund.
• Many women headed households, dalits and marginalized community members are now
organised in Forest User Groups and have secured leadership positions. In Forest User
Committee there are now 31 % women in leadership positions against 21% in 1996. About
6% dalits have been in the committee against 2% in 1996. Many groups have been further
strengthened through government and NGO Service Providers. In 1996, there was no
single NGO involved in community forestry; only limited service would be delivered through
government organizations in selected VDCs. In the last 8 years, the NSCFP has worked in
partnership with 72 local NGOs in the districts. Despite difficult security situation, many
local NGOs have been able to deliver services to communities; there are about 35 NGOs
currently working with the NSCFP as Service Providers. In addition, about 25 Forest User
Groups, VDC based Community Based Organsiations (CBOs) that have become active in
providing support to other groups, as Service Providers through micro-projects. So farmers
to farmers’ dissemination are begun indicating that Groups are moving towards selfreliance. • Participatory bottom-up planning process has begun to be institutionalised, especially in
annual and periodic plan preparation. There has been realisation among forestry staff of
the importance of bi-directional flow of information from the community to the central level
and that information flow also has to take place vertically and horizontally. Community
forestry actors have started to demand that good forest governance be established at all
levels, from CFUGs to the forestry administration and broader national government.
• From 1991/92, the Project has provided support through trainings and scholarships to
project partners mainly to community members, NGOs and government staff. This type of
support in human capital formation in the three districts has made a significant contribution
to the re-orientation of Forest Department staff away from their traditional role of policing to
a role of facilitator and advisor. As a result, changes in attitude and behavior of many
government staff (mainly Forest Department staff) have been visible. Similarly the
participation and representation of dalit and women in community organizations have
tremendously increased in recent years.
• The NSCFP has been able to disseminate its learning through the production of various
publications on contemporary issues in Community Forestry. Examples include guidelines
and manuals on the pro-poor community forestry process, process of involvement of
NGOs in community forestry, issues related to women and disadvantaged community
members and materials related to pro-poor enterprise development process.
Ramechap and Okhaldhunga district
• Nepal Swiss Community Forestry Project is in operation since 1990. Up until July 2003, a
total of 102, 000 household members have been organized into 763 Forest User Groups
(FUGs) in the three districts. By the end of the fourth phase in July 2004, it is estimated
that there would be about 800 FUGs in the three districts managing about 75,000 ha
community forests. This constitutes about 49% of the potential community forests covering
approximately 79% of the total districts’ population.
• One of the big achievements of SDC funded community forestry programme has been its
contribution to support communities and Department of Forest to work together for
reversing the rate of deforestation. As a result, in the three districts, there are visible
improvements to forest condition in existing natural forests. In addition, many Community
Forest User Groups have created innovative and viable income generation activities such
as cardamom farming, production of Nepali hand-made paper and cultivation of medicinal
herbs (jari buti) and fibre plants such as Lokta and Argeli in community forests and on their
farms.
• Community forest user groups have become the vehicle of community development. Many
Forest User Groups are increasingly involved in the development of community level
physical infrastructure using their community funds to build and maintain schools, roads,
drinking water, bridges, water mills, community buildings, community utensils, health aids,
and so on.
• Many groups in the Project area have been able to fund micro credit schemes; provide
scholarships to poor students; funded infrastructure projects; provided loans to poor user
members and organised forest management related training with their own community
fund.
• Many women headed households, dalits and marginalized community members are now
organised in Forest User Groups and have secured leadership positions. In Forest User
Committee there are now 31 % women in leadership positions against 21% in 1996. About
6% dalits have been in the committee against 2% in 1996. Many groups have been further
strengthened through government and NGO Service Providers. In 1996, there was no
single NGO involved in community forestry; only limited service would be delivered through
government organizations in selected VDCs. In the last 8 years, the NSCFP has worked in
partnership with 72 local NGOs in the districts. Despite difficult security situation, many
local NGOs have been able to deliver services to communities; there are about 35 NGOs
currently working with the NSCFP as Service Providers. In addition, about 25 Forest User
Groups, VDC based Community Based Organsiations (CBOs) that have become active in
providing support to other groups, as Service Providers through micro-projects. So farmers
to farmers’ dissemination are begun indicating that Groups are moving towards selfreliance. • Participatory bottom-up planning process has begun to be institutionalised, especially in
annual and periodic plan preparation. There has been realisation among forestry staff of
the importance of bi-directional flow of information from the community to the central level
and that information flow also has to take place vertically and horizontally. Community
forestry actors have started to demand that good forest governance be established at all
levels, from CFUGs to the forestry administration and broader national government.
• From 1991/92, the Project has provided support through trainings and scholarships to
project partners mainly to community members, NGOs and government staff. This type of
support in human capital formation in the three districts has made a significant contribution
to the re-orientation of Forest Department staff away from their traditional role of policing to
a role of facilitator and advisor. As a result, changes in attitude and behavior of many
government staff (mainly Forest Department staff) have been visible. Similarly the
participation and representation of dalit and women in community organizations have
tremendously increased in recent years.
• The NSCFP has been able to disseminate its learning through the production of various
publications on contemporary issues in Community Forestry. Examples include guidelines
and manuals on the pro-poor community forestry process, process of involvement of
NGOs in community forestry, issues related to women and disadvantaged community
members and materials related to pro-poor enterprise development process.
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