Poverty reduction through village development in the Arun Valley

Some 80% of the people of Nepal live in the countryside, mainly as small farmers at the subsistence level. Farmland yields are the basis for their lives, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide food for the growing population. In many communities the fields can supply food for only six or seven months – after that, the men have to go elsewhere in search of odd jobs. They work as porters or unskilled labourers, doing the heaviest jobs in order to provide for their families, enable their children to go to school or pay for medical bills.

In the buffer zone of the Makalu-Barun National Park in the east of Nepal, Eco Himal is running an agricultural development project. The aim is to help the farming communities to increase their yields, to grow new plants or varieties of cereals and vegetables, and make additional income possible. Eco Himal supports the local communities in developing new products, in starting up the cultivation of fruit and vegetables by providing training and small loans. Our local working partners are the village cooperatives: they cultivate medicinal herbs and plants, run cardamom plantations and produce and sell textiles made from nettle fibres. They work hard and all pull in the same direction – their unity is their strength!

The steep terrain is a major challenge. Time and time again heavy rainfall as well as land- and mudslides destroy paths, bridges and houses. When this occurs, Eco Himal is quick to provide assistance towards reconstruction and rebuilding, so that life may go on.

The project was handed over to the local communities in 2011 after almost 15 years of presence and collaboration with the authorities of Makalu-Barun national park. For the final years the project was financed by the Swiss Development Agency.