Nepal-Swiss Community Forestry Project

(1990-2011)

A Case Study

Diana Therese A. Samson

SFFG 101 Y-2

April 2015

1
A case study paper submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements in SFFG 101 under Prof.
Marlo D. Mendoza, 2nd sem., 2014-2015.
I. PROBLEM/S
The project was implemented to address:
Ø Environmental problems- during the period from 1950 to 1980 about half a million ha. of forests
were destroyed. Forest degradation, however, was considered an environmental and technical
problem – and not a policy related problem. Nepal lost almost 9 % of its forests and suffered from
the degradation of forest quality.
Ø Encroachment of forest land- very common in government controlled forest area. In addition,
government reports have estimated that more than 100,000 ha of government land is encroached.
Ø Problems in poverty
Ø Economic position of women, poor and social differentiation in society.
Ø Nepal’s rural setting comprises a hierarchical social structure that includes different economic
and social classes, an oppressive caste system and gender discrimination.

II. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Nepal has envisioned attaining the national goals of poverty alleviation and the global goals of
Sustainable Development by strengthening good forest governance, sustainable forest management, and
livelihood improvement. In the early years of the project, the main objective is to restore tree cover to
degraded slopes, establishment of plantations, private tree cultivation, forest nurseries and regeneration of
natural forest for there had been problems with forest deforestation. These continued in the late years but
it shifted its focus in reducing poverty and thus contribute to the national poverty reduction strategy. The
project wanted to work on livelihoods improvement and pro-poor enterprise development programmes
mainly for disadvantaged households especially women and to governance of the community forestry
user groups. (NSCFP, 2011)

III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

• Setting
The Nepal-Swiss Community Forestry Project has been in operation since 1990. The project is
being implemented in three districts of the Middle Hills in Nepal, namely Dolakha, Ramechhap, and
Okhaldhunga. These districts have an estimated forest area of 238,422 hectares, of which 33% (77,277
ha) has been handed over to the local communities as community forests. Incidentally, most of the poorest
people live in the rural areas and near or within the forests.
• Context
In order to impose the master plan in Nepal’s Forestry Division, the Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation (SDC) made a commitment in order to provide support for the longest
possible time in the project and this was achieved through the Nepal Swiss Community Forestry Project
(NSCFP).
In the Hills of Nepal, forests are crucial component of farming systems and rural people's
livelihoods. It provides fuel, construction materials and animal fodder, contributing to farmland fertility
and to household monetary and non-monetary incomes. In the past eighteen years, several landmark
achievements have been made in the community forestry sector in the three working districts covered by
Nepal Swiss Community Forestry Project, funded by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
The main achievements being, the decentralisation of resources and decision making power to 919
community forestry user groups, which are practicing democratic decision-making at local level;
participation of 103,060 households in community forestry (91% of the total population in the project
districts); sustainable management and use of 95,283 ha of forest land (65% of the total potential
community forests, and adoption of the well-being ranking system into the revised Community Forestry-
Guidelines of the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation. (Pokharel, n.d.)
• Stakeholders/actors
Since the Nepal Swiss Community Forestry Project was implemented by intercooperation,
through multiple-partnerships modality with different actors, it was funded by Swiss Agency
Development and Cooperation also with Community Forestry User groups, other partners were Ministry
of Forest and Soil Conservation, Department of Forest and District Forest Office. Major actors are women
and poorest people.
• Socio-economic Condition in Project Area
The general economic condition of the study area is influenced by the infrastructural development
like road and communication. Various development projects and programmes implemented in the
study area are influencing economic context.

• Bio-physical Characteristics of the Area

The three districts of the Middle Hills in Nepal are namely Dolakha, Ramechhap, and
Okhaldhunga having high altitude forests. These districts have an estimated forest area of 238,422
hectares, of which 33% (77,277 ha) has been handed over to the local communities as community forests.
The area covered by forests in Dolakha and Ramechhap is 94400 and 66100 hectare (ha) respectively.
The major forest types available in the study area are tropical, sub-tropical, lower temperate, and upper
temperate. Similarly major tree species available are Acacia catechu (Khair), Shorea robusta (Sal),
Teminalia tomentosa (Saj), etc. High altitude forests in the districts are resource rich in terms of timber.

IV. PROJECT INTERVENTION, STRATEGIES, COMPONENTS, AND MAJOR ACTIVITIES

• Project Intervention
There were some issues observed during the time of implementation of Community Forestry in
the study area. They were mainly related to the economic position of women, poor and social
differentiation in society. The daily requirement of fodder and fuel wood was lacking or insufficient to
poorest people and women. They had to be involved in other activities whereby their work burden is
increased. (NSCFP, 2011)
• Strategies (to address problems)
Ø Technical solutions such as plantation and fencing were pursued.
Ø Private forest nursery programme is contributing to develop agro-forestry as well as to raise
income level of nursery owners. In most of the cases, participatory silvicultural production
oriented practices are adopted for forest management in CFs.
Ø Local villagers themselves were involved in boundary survey of community forest land.
Since villagers are actively involved in making rules on how to protect, manage and utilize
forest land and products, illegal felling of trees and stealing of forest products have
decreased.
Ø Women and other poor people were trained and involved in terms of leadership and
governance.
Ø Genuine participation of disadvantaged people in the decision-making.
 Ø Select poor and deprived group of people for scholarship, representation of poorest in CFUG
committees, encourage to express needs and concerns of poorest during the CFUG formation,
support for access to low interest credit, include poor people in leasehold programme which
is a poverty focused programme to uplift socio-economic condition of target population
through creating opportunities.
• Components
Forest-based enterprise development under NSCFP is perhaps the most controversial of all
project components. Project staff recognised quite early on in the project’s history that for CFUGs to
become fully independent and self-financing, they needed to be able to generate substantial income from
their forest resources. (NSCFP, 2011)

• Major Activities
Forest management activities, subsistence activities, and Income Generation (IG) activities are
major activities directly related to the livelihood requirement of users.

V. ANALYSIS
• Effectiveness
The project was effective since it had greatly contributed into Nepal’s three districts especially to
the poor people that were helped in their livelihoods, education, and addressing different problems and
issues. Before the project was implemented, situation in the upland areas is worst because of
environmental and social problems. By this, the project became stronger and made different strategies to
address these. Various studies showed that formerly denuded hills are covered with forests and greenery
again. The overall forest condition has improved mainly in terms of regeneration, number of stems per
unit area, basal area, growing stock, the rate of annual increment, density of a number of forest patches,
species diversity, wildlife and the total biomass.
Villagers have perceived that number of water springs as well as the volume and duration of
water discharge have increased. In the mid-hills of Nepal, work has been conducted to ensure that the
poor benefit more from the community forests on which they depend. Nearly 33% of the 10 million
people found in these hills live in poverty and rely on community forests. Currently, 23% of the mid-hills
forests are managed by 12,500 Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs). These CFUGs have succeeded
in reversing forest degradation. According to the latest figures (June 2006), 2,704 women occupy
leadership positions in the FUGs (32% of all such positions). In more than half (55%) of the FUGs, the
representation of Dalits in committees is in proportion to their overall population in the district. There has,
furthermore, been an increase in their number in leadership positions. For example, over the past three
years, the number of Dalit chair and vice chairpersons has increased from 30 to 38.
• Efficiency
In terms of the project’s efficiency, it has been efficient throughout its long-term implementation
although there were some interventions and problems at first.
• Sustainability
Project’s sustainability was composed of institutional sustainability, ecological sustainability and
economical sustainability. Institutional sustainability includes decision making processes and group
composition in terms of leadership. Ecological sustainability includes the use of trees and other resources
with constructive management that do not exploit too much of these forest resources. Economic
sustainability includes the income generation of Community Forestry Usergroups that covers all of the
expenses to make investments and to people’s livelihoods.
• Social acceptance
According to NSCFP (2011), in terms of social acceptance, NSCFP turned its focus in
encouraging individuals or small groups of individuals to register as NGOs and become service providers
that could work directly with CFUGs. The concept of local service providers was widely viewed as a
major innovation at the time – and one that other projects followed subsequently, recognizing its
practicality in the time of civil conflict. NGO staff members were trained in legal aspects of community
forestry, participatory methodologies, and specific methodologies such as well-being ranking, livelihood
opportunities assessment, and governance coaching.
In NSCFP, social acceptance of specific measures to improve the livelihoods of the poor, listen to
their opinions and pro-actively include them in development dialogue.
• Facilitating factors
a. Project implementation:
Ø Transparency and quality- the project implemented transparency and quality. It has
regularly updated its activities approaches and strategies
Ø Separate project offices
Ø Multi-partnerships approach in solving conflict
Ø Engaging external, international organizations
Ø Cluster approach
Ø Monitoring and evaluation of system activities
b. Human resource and institutional development
Ø Different types of scholarships and training courses-capacity building of individuals
through scholarships in forestry in all levels, girl, children women and members of the
disadvantage groups
c. Pro-poor livelihoods
Ø Loans-75% paidback
Ø For raising livestock, manufacture for sale of leaf plates, brooms, wooden utensils, bamboo
products and furniture
d. Social inclusion : caste and gender-promoting mutual respect and understanding between men and
women is an integral part
e. Good governance
Ø Transparency-governance coaching at CFUG level
Ø Accountability-decentralized system
Ø Equity-implies a fair sharing of benefits not just an equal share
Ø Inclusive participation
Ø Efficiency and effectiveness
Ø Good governance and democracy
f. Conflict sensitive project management
Ø Though its pro-poor livelihood, the NSCFP also aims to contribute in promoting post
conflict peace and reconciliation processes at local and national levels
Ø Could operate in conflict because many programs used a pro-community approach with
activities that could benefit the rural people.
g. Sustainable tree and forest management
 Ø NSCFP has done commendable job in forestry management. It is the source of greenery in
an otherwise denuded and degraded forests through plantations and training in nurseries,
forest development and management
Ø Still far more to be done to promote the practice of sustainable management of forest
according to their types and on tree harvesting procedure in community forestry
Ø Afforestation-sustainable forest management
-promoting forest management was a priority to determine how forest could be managed
for multiple use products on a sustainable basis
-monoculture pine-mixed with broadleaves forest that more readily serve fodder and fuel
wood needs
Ø Community management school
Ø Conversion of non-forest to forest management bio-diversity, protection and conservation
h. Forest based enterprises
-broaden the vision of economic development and establishing pro-poor enterprises, ensuring
shares for the poor and transform rural people lives.
-economic transformation for their sustainability
Ø Producing handmade paper thru value chain analysis-making markets work for the poor
Ø Essential oil extraction
Ø Resin extraction
Ø Timber
i. Forest policy contribution
-influenced policy and legislation was made possible by the strong and close involvement of
project staff at field level combined with detailed monitoring indicators which enabled the
justification for specific recommendations to be made on the basis of concrete often quantified field
activities.

• Recommendations
Since Nepal Swiss Community Forestry Project (NSCFP) was a success, the researcher
recommends that NSCFP should be tried in the case of Philippines.
References:

Pokharel, B. (n.d.). Addressing chronic poverty and spatial poverty traps in Nepal's middle
hills: The Nepal Swiss community forestry project. Retrieved from
http://www.forestrynepal.org/images/publications/spatial-chronic-poverty-nepal-community-
forestry-group.pdf

Pokharel, B. (n.d.). Nepal Swiss community forestry project. Retrieved from

http://nepal.helvetas.org/en/our_projects/nscfp.cfm

Two decades of community forestry in Nepal: What have we learned? (2011). Nepal Swiss community
forestry project. Retrieved from https://recoftc.wordpress.com/2011/11/24/two-decades-of-
community-forestry-in-nepal-what-have-we-learned/