.jpg)
Enhancing climate-smart forest and water management practices in Nepal
About the country
​
This is our second project in this country and it is referred to our presentation here. Since our initial actions, the pandemic had a heavy impact. Tourism is indeed one of the main resources of the country in foreign currency. From 500k tourists in 2009, up to 1,2mio in 2018, while the infrastructure remains under-dimensioned.
The “Visit Nepal 2020” campaign, officially introduced on January 1st, 2020, aimed to attract 2 mio tourists, generate $2 billion and create thousands of new jobs was canceled because of COVID-19. It has taken a disproportionate toll on this industry which is mostly informal (50% of enterprises), pushing an estimated whopping 1,2 mio more people into poverty.
Main objectives
It is about coping with the increasingly severe impact of climate change in rural areas and on the poor. In the south and neglected part of the country, its impact is multifold: increased dry periods, unpredictable onset of monsoon, harvest lost, drying-off of natural water ponds and spoiled water resources, damaged forests, all resulting in outmigration of males and a higher burden on female workers.
​
The project also plans to strengthen the adaptation capacities of village communities to enable them to maintain their quality of life in a degraded climate environment.
Key principles
The project will consist in:
1
The implementation of a water management program in line with the requirements of climate imperatives, comprising restoration of natural water ponds and building of extra ponds, construction of irrigation canals and preservation of a natural water spring.
2
It will be completed with the development of a comprehensive and appropriate reforestation program and setting up a tree nursery, followed by a tree plantation program. It is moreover planned to more specifically introduce cultivation and domestication of medicinal and aromatic plants.
3
Though this is not factored into our plan, the local authorities have committed to top up the program by supporting activities on climate-smart agriculture up to the level of 25% of the project value (farmer field schools, provision of different kinds of equipment or seeds, construction of animal improved sheds, plastic tunnels and drip irrigation).
In cooperation with Aide à l’Enfance de l’Inde et du Népal: https://www.aein.lu