Income generation from natural resources management has been supported by Helvetas in Nepal for almost 50 years. The first cheese production started in the late 1950s while vegetable, ginger, fruit and coffee production supported to gradually expand into more remote locations.

Access to markets

·  Producer associations strengthen farmers’ role while accessing commercial markets. Commodities such as ginger, coffee, vegetable and NTFP have developed into commercial commodities for thousands of farmers in Helvetas-supported projects over the last years. Experiences indicate that the establishment of mature marketing linkages is a gradual process of capacity building, confidence building and professional management (e.g. LISP, LLINK, CoPP). Helvetas needs to increase its efforts in this area.

·       The development of marketing infrastructure (collection centers, market information systems, quality standards and grading, etc.) greatly facilitates the linkages between partners as experiences from Helvetas projects show for Palpa, Dailekh, Kavre and Doti. Partners need to define their roles according to their business interest and capacities. Development projects may facilitate the process and may support the establishment of rules, regulations and policies for marketing while they should abstain from interfering in markets. Intermediaries are often effective in sustaining marketing systems while farmer managed (e.g. cooperative-based) systems may fail.

Income generation from natural resources

·     Farmers are highly interested in income-generating commodities as soon as market access emerges. This implies learning about production practices for cash crops such as marketable vegetable, spices or tree crops and their integration into the farming system. For example, more than 20000 farmers initiated vegetable farming (e.g. LLINK), 3000 farmers ginger cropping (e.g. LISP), and 4000 farmers tree cropping (e.g. CoPP) under Helvetas-projects over the past 5 years. As more and more farmers join, Helvetas puts increasing efforts to make these initiatives sustainable through improved low cost production practices, better market linkages and the strengthening of local extension systems. A concept of integrated crop management (e.g. SSMP) and marketing needs to be promoted for key commodities.

·   Improved livestock management combined with fodder production and community forest management offer opportunities for poor households as experiences of Helvetas projects in Palpa and Doti indicate. Access to capital (e.g. revolving fund for goats, insurance system), access to community resources (e.g. fodder from forest, timber for stall), and technical know-how (e.g. veterinary service) are often limiting factors. Thus, the support to poor households for livestock management needs to be part of a planning and implementation process with all community members.

·   Extension systems are more efficient and effective in reaching rural households if local organizations or local resource persons take responsibility. More than 100 local organizations have been partners of Helvetas over the past years and more than 200 Local Resource Persons have been developed for specific commodities. Once the feasibility of production has been shown for a commodity, the further diffusion of the practice depends on marketing opportunities and access to technical advise. Projects can shift to support marketing linkages as a “pull-force” for such commodities and to develop demand-responsive technical advise at the local level (see LISP, SSMP, LLINK)

·    Production for markets implies the risk of exploiting natural resources for short-term gains increasing vulnerability over the longer term. Practices of sustainable natural resource management were promoted through various projects implemented by Helvetas and partner organizations. These include, for example, community forest management, sustainable harvest of non-timber forest products, sustainable land and soil management practices, low external input crop management, integrated water resources management at local level. Helvetas, because of its portfolio of complementary projects, is well positioned to provide technical expertise and field level support to the further development of integrated resource management approaches.

Livelihood approach

·     The needs and opportunities of socially and economically disadvantaged people can best be addressed through a livelihood approach which identifies their assets and provides support for targeted asset accumulation. Examples from Helvetas projects include targeted support for micro-hardware, saving and credit groups, skills for employment, social organization and advocacy, and equity in common property management.

·   The vulnerability of socially and economically disadvantaged groups can be reduced by introducing livestock insurance schemes (e.g. for goats under  LISP), seasonal employment opportunities (e.g. road construction under RAP), and efficient use of local resources instead of purchased inputs (e.g. local plant extracts for pest management under SSMP).

·      The third element of a livelihood approach for socially and economically disadvantaged people is the support to policies, institutions and processes which are sensitive and supportive to their needs and opportunities. This includes the inclusion of representatives of SLOW in all decision taking bodies. Of particular importance is the establishment of planning and monitoring mechanisms with local governance bodies with disaggregated data (LTM carpet). This has been initiated under various Helvetas projects, while continued efforts are needed to achieve a consolidated effort in collaboration with district level actors.