Livelihood Project
Livelihood Project 2010/11
The Livelihood Project has been implemented by the NEST with the financial assistance of World Vision International in Lekhnath municipality and five different VDC namely; Kalika, Majhthana, Hansapur, Rupakot and Thumki. It is four years project which starts on October and ends in September 2011. With the goal of improving livelihood security of marginal farmers and poor families. It is focused to income generation and agricultural programs in its project areas. Beside agricultural related activities some of them are entrepreneurship developments and awareness raising too. Orientation, training, support and awareness raising programs have been conducted by the projects creating huge supports and a positive changes are observed at the beneficiaries’ level on improving their household level income generation and employments.
8.2.1 Livelihood project in 2011
In fiscal year 2011, this project successfully implemented and benefited farmers with effective resources mobilization and skill transfer. Twenty- two events of 18 different types of trainings, 33 orientation on seven different topics, construction of RRCS, improved cattle shed, improved livestock breed support, trees and NTFPs plantation, awareness raising on climate change and adaption were major programs conducted in this FY:
- Training
Training related to agricultural program, animal husbandry and entrepreneurship development were mainly planned for the year. Training on IPM, vegetable farming, FYM and soil improvements, entrepreneurship development, business development plan, VAHW training, leader farming training, home gardening, food processing and preservation, goat raising, animal husbandry, pig farming, poultry raising, improved cook stove construction, NTFP etc were major training in different improved agriculture technologies as programs. Altogether 581 farmers were trained mentioned above. There were 386 (66%) women and 195 (34%) men participated in those trainings. The training participants are applying the learning and growing off-season vegetables, commercial vegetable gardening; and have increased their income through poultry and pig raising activities.
- Orientation
To Raise farmers knowledge on home gardening, improved cattle shed, plant health clinic, importance RRCS construction, agricultural policies, organic farming and climate change,one day orientation was conducted at different location of project area VDCs.. Altogether 744 farmers got the orientation on different topics as given above. The women participation were higher 497 (67%) as compared with men 247 (33%) in one day orientation programme. The orientation programme stimulated the project beneficiaries to learn new concept, increase access to services and provided the basic concept in different subject matters which are using them in their day to day life.
- Construction and support program
Farmers were supported with subsidized seeds; they were also provided support to improve their cattle shed and solve their irrigation problem by construction of RRCS. Similarly, farmers were supported to construct improved cook stove so that one can contribute to reduce stress on environment and conserve forest. Fifteen farmers were supported with UV plastic for tomato production,4 farmers groups were supported with breeding buck, 18 Dalit farmers were supported with piglets, 8 entrepreneur were financially supported to start business and 3 exiting groups were supported with matching fund (institutional strengthen fund) for their sustainability. All those efforts contributed to improve livelihood condition of targeted beneficiaries in the project areas.
- Campaign
Livelihood project conducted 8 different campaigns of plant health clinics. Around 500 farmers visited the plant health clinic and received technical support to protect their crops from diseases,insects and pests. The community response in plant health clinics were found very positive and they obtained the remedial solution from the technician. The campaigns were organized in coordination with DADO Kaski. Similarly, two campaign of soil testing were conducted and farmers were also supported with lime to reduce existing acidic condition of soils. Trees/NTFPs Plantation Around 1500 fodder trees, 400 coffee and 1000 NTFP plants were planted in different project VDCs. Farmers shown good participation and expected multiple benefits like fodders, fuel wood, timbers, leaf litters from their own private land as well as NTFPs as source of income.
Key learning
•Activities should be designed in consultation with community people and project will get more support from the community to implement project activities timely.
•Coordination with the government offices and local stakeholder makes the work easier, effective and sustainable.
Key Challenges
Challenge faced during the project implementation in this fiscal year are given below: •Farmers are hesitating to invest their own money in agriculture and they have high level of expectation from the project.
• Lack of market information and market linkages create the problems to sale agriculture/vegetable crops. Difficult to get time of community to manage project activities on time. Difficult to allocated resources/ fund within group for agriculture and other development activities.
Livelihood Improvement Project 2011/12
Introduction:
The concept of ‘sustainable rural livelihoods’ is increasingly central to the debate about rural development, poverty reduction and environmental management. Livelihood also means that supporting one’s existence via financially or vocationally, so the same work we are doing in the rural areas for marginalized farmers to upgrade their living standard. Livelihood stands to sustain their life in a consistent way. To be more precise, livelihood stands for the way of living in the presence of different obstacles like limited resources, low economic status, low capacity to do afford better goods and services etc and to overcome these obstacles with full confidence through empowerment, provide option for income and employment apportunities for their better future.
Livelihood project supported by World Vision International Nepal and technical Support by NEST came in agreement in 01 February 2010 to 30 September 2013. Since then, there is mutual understanding between two organizations and activities are going smoothly and perfectly. Livelihood project/NEST aims to empowering mural poor (women and men) and marginalized farmers to develop alternatives sources of livelihood promotion. NEST is working with 16 Farmer’s group of the project sites, and the project areas are Majhthana, Thumki, Hansapur, Kalika, Rupakot VDCs and Lekhnath municipality.
In the FY-2011/12, most of the project activities were concentrated in Majhthana, Thumki and Hansapur VDC. NEST and WVI organized different trainings and capacity enhancement activities. In addition to this, farmers were provided with different materials support like poultry feeding vessels, plastic crates, construction of water collection jars, cattle sheds improvement materials, goats, pigs, etc. together 900 farmers are benefited with trainings and material supports in this erting period. Majority of the farmers benefited from Janjati, Dalits and 347 women and 285 men from targeted communities. There were 106 (30%) Dalit women participation out of 347 in capacity building and material support activities provided by the livelihood project then followed 51 % Janjati men and 50% Janjati women respectively. While analyzed the participation and beneficiaries’ number WEST has perfectly followed the GESI principal in its working strategy. The livelihood project has been implementing in close coordination with DADO, DLSO and DFO concerned VDCs as well as farmer groups.
Livestock,Livelihoods and Climate Change Project Introduction :
This collaborative ongoing action research has been undertaken by joint venture namely Arizona State University (ASU), LI-BIRD and NEST. The project areas are Humla, Mustang and Solukhumbu high mountainous districts of Nepal. NEST is working in Solukhumbu areas. As followed the proposal. NEST has been implementing the project activities to fulfill the project objectives in coordination with local stakeholder.
Objectives of LLCC project:
1) To assess the change in the well-being and health of livelihood including their susceptibility to diseases due to changes in climate.
2) To study the links between climate change and availability of pasture and grazing land.
3) To assess vulnerabilities of livestock keepers and their livelihoods to changing climate.
4) To study the impact of climate change on women’s livelihoods and workload.
Activities Performed:
Pre-planning meeting was conducted between LI-BIRD and NEST officials to conduct the field survey, questionnaires preparation, pre-test, field survey, reference group formed. Detail questionnaires were developed then developed questionnaire finalized (both in Survey tools such as English and Nepali), after the pre test inputs. As followed the project proposal a reference group was formed as representation of the district was formed as representation of the district level stakeholder of Solukhumbu district.