Community Development & Advocacy Forum Nepal

Bardibash, Nepal

An Overview Of Our Solution

Climate change has tremendous effect in the every aspect livelihood and agriculture. We experience change in raining pattern creating drought, flood, excessive rain etc. Climate adaptive Village & Climate Smart Village models may be way to adapt and mitigate to climate change. Too much drought in dry seasons and flood in the rainy season are the major problem related to water. Collecting & raising the seepage water & harvesting of the rain water can be a good approach to mitigate the problem of drought. In addition to this use of the solar energy can be a best way to replace the diesel pump as one of the wat to reduce the release of the CO2. All the above mention scheme may enhance the livelihood by the agriculture option enhancing food security & biodiversity.

Who is this solution impacting?

Community Type

Rural

Organization type

Nonprofit

Ecosystem (select all that apply)

Freshwater

Population impacted

1200 people

Size of agricultural area

32 hac in low land and 22 hac in upland

Production quantity

4 ton of cereal/ hac/year and 7 ton /hac/year

People employed

12 people

Describe your solution

How have you promoted changes in human activities (or changed your own agricultural practice) to ensure sustainable harvests/food security while also conserving, strengthening and/or restoring biodiversity on your agricultural lands and/or the surrounding environment? (1500 characters max.)

Describe your implementation

For the irrigation of in the lowland, we had constructed infiltration chamber in the Ratu River or we had raised the seepage water of Ratu river and collected in the chamber which is directed towards the canal. Even in the drought season there is sufficient collection of the seepage water for the irrigation in the water. In upland, in the torrent we had dig out the pond and constructed a damp in order to harvest the rain water. The pond has the capacity of 40,00,000 liter of water. After the construction of the pond the cutting of the land during the rainy season has been stop. The collected water is been lifted by solar irrigation system in order to irrigate the upland. After the intervention there is sufficient of water even in the drought season both in upland and land. In the dam different forage plant (bioengineering) are been panted which increase the biodiversity and also provide the forage for the animal husbandry. People share that they are now cultivating different vegetable and high value crop in upland and also 3 crop in a year after these scheme of water management which ensure their economic growth and food security. Initially they has to cut the fodder and forage in the jungle in order to divert the water Ratu River water but after the formation of the infiltration chamber for the collection of the seepage water, the action of the forage and fodder has been stop ensuring the check in the deforestation and chances of encounter with animals. Similarly after the irrigation facility they had introduce the concept of the IPM and botanical pesticide in the in the home garden. Under the home garden approach, they grow different types of vegetables depending upon the season.

External connections

This is is generally a collaborating approach of different stakeholders and donor partners. Our organization Community Development and Advocacy Forum Nepal (CDAFN) has develop the concept and implemented it where as it is funded by Caritas Germany, Caritas Nepal, LI-BIRD, Village Development Committee, community forest user group and Active local people participation. This effort is directly linked with the agriculture as it has increase the crop diversity. Through creation of the infiltration chamber for irrigation, the deforestation has been decrease and creating enhancement of the forest diversity. Similarly, the creation of the pond has become the drinking water for different birds and monkey. Similarly people with low or now land holding are engaged in the fish farming. Such irrigation system are under the local people by forming farmer's pond user group and irrigation user farmer group. They develop their own policies for the unbiased use of the pond and irrigation underground canal. Similarly they also collect certain levy form the users for the renovation and extension of the canal. All the group has their own administrative structure and are registered in the respective government stake holder.

What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?

The village "Rajabas" lies in the Chure range of Nepal in corridor of watershade of Ratu River and Forest. Similarly there is another torrent "Jharayou jhora" which get mixed in Ratu. There are two type of land (low & Uplands). In rainy season, there is flash flood in torrent and ratu river cutting up & low land respectively. There is no any water in river and torrent in the other seasons. In low land they have rice (mono crop) and no any crop in upland. To divert the water from river they used to cut the forage from the forest (deforestation) and divert the flow of the water to wards indigenous canal. In every flood the forage get swept away and villagers have to collect the forage again increasing deforestation and high chance of wild encounter. Heavy rain causing flash flood cutting of the agriculture land, severe drought other than rainy seasons, food insecurity, heavy deforestation to divert the flow of river water are the the ecological challenges that we are targeting

Describe the context in which you are operating

We are operating the scheme of water management for the improvement of livelihood in the Rajbash Village. There is high inhabitation of the Janajati and Dalit. After the application of the scheme there are sufficient amount of water even in the drought for both upland and low land. People had started taking 3 crop (rice-wheat- maize) in the low lands ensuring the food security whereas vegetables and high valued crops in uplands. People had integrated the concept of the home garden in the upland to ensure the nutrition's. Previously they used to buy the vegetable now they are selling them. People are earning from fish farming, 3 crops in a year and from high value crops and vegetables Landless people are benefited by the fish farming in the community pond and being involved as agriculture labor. Villagers are well known to the scheme as they were involve in the program which will create sustainability of the structure. And different bio-engineering measure are integrated to increase the strength of the structure. Previously there there was an average income of NRs. 5000/-per hectare which has been increase with three crops by NRs.120000/- per hectare.

How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?

Regarding the infiltration chamber for irrigation it has directly increase the crop intensity as previously there were only on crop (rice during rainy seasons) whereas now they grow rice- wheat and maize throughout the year in the low land. Similarly this structure has indirectly decrease the deforestation enhancing the increase in the forest diversity and also reduce the risk of wild animals encounter. Similarly on the case of the community pond, pond has paly an significant role in increasing the fish diversity ( tilapia, Rohu, big head carp , common carp, silver carp). Similarly the pond water are being lifted by the solar energy for the home garden purpose. This had enhance the vegetable diversity as well. In the dam of the pond they had cultivated different forage grasses like stylo, napier, kudzu etc. All this system are based in the group approach.

Language(s)

Nepali

Water

The wastage water of the rain has been harvest in the community pond and being used in the drought seasons for the cultivation the upland. The flood from the torrent has been controlled and the land cutting form the torrent has also stopped. Similarly, in the infiltration chamber,, although there is no water in the river surface , the seepage water get collected in the chamber which is the judicious use of the water

Food Security/Nutrition

As previous people of the Rajbash viallge has to buy the food materials, but now are food surplus. Now their upland as well as their low land full of crops all around the year after the water management scheme. Even they are integrating the home garden approach with the IPM which help them to increase the health consciousness. Even the fish farming are also providing them the nutritious fish meal.

Economic/Sustainable Development

As all the scheme are under the user groare taking benefit from it and know its importance, so are caring and renovating them. In case of the low land, previously they have a net benefit about Nrs. 50000/- from one hectare of land but now they are having NRs. 1,20,000/- per year . Similarly in the upland they does not have any income from that, but now having 2,00,000/- per annum. As the solar irrigation system is the use of the renewable energy so we can treat it as a sustainable energy.

Climate

This scheme is climate friendly and are the climate adaptive models as well. Previously the risk of the flood and land cutting has been reduce through the construction of the pond. Similarly, the solar irrigation system has reduce the use of the diesel motor reducing the consumption of the diesel and release of the carbon in the atmosphere. Similarly this is drought friendly structures. Even this ponds are providing drinking water for different bird and monkeys in drought seasons.

Sustainability

Yes this is a collaborative approach of different funding agencies ( LIBIRD, Village Development Committee, CARITAS- Germany, Caritas-Nepal) and people participation. It is one time investment and local people can take care of it. People can collect the money for its enhancement and renovation. Regarding the sustainability , it uses the solar energy for uplifting the collected water which is itself a sustainable energy. Regarding the sustainability of the structure, the user group committee keep on collecting the levy and keep on extending the canal and renovation. So we can say it as it is a sustainable approach after once it is installed.

Return on investment

In case of the infiltration chamber, it cost around NRs.7,00,000/- whereas the community pond cost around 15,00,000/- and the solar irrigation system cost around 9,00,000/-. Regarding this people are annualy takin g benefit of 1,20,000/- in low kand per hectare per year where as taking benfit of NRs. 2,00,000/- per year per hectare in the upland. Similarly from fish farming, people are taking benefit of around 3,00,000/- per seasons. So this structures or scheme are one time investment and are benefiting all the villagers is good scale. And they will be taking it in coming years as well.

Entrant Image

How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?

In the Chure area of Nepal and in other different country having climatic condition like Nepal, we can replicate this structures. The infiltration chamber and construction of pond by digging torrent has not been done before. Whereas the solar based irrigation system are been used in other countries as well. For this CCAFS ( CGIAR) & IDE, Care can be good funding partners as they are working in the climate smart village and climate adaptive village. In case of the infiltration chamber for rising the seepage water it totally new innovation, for its replication it need good training.

Overview