Objectives :  To identify degraded lands and associated socioeconomic conditions of the people for the planning of sustainable rehabilitation in the mid-hills of Nepal

Major Findings :

Currently, in Andheri-Khahare watersheds, area under agriculture and forest are 257.61 ha and 320.92 ha whereas it was 243.94 ha and 477.63 ha in agriculture and forest in 1978 respectively. In overall, 32.81 percent of forestland has been converted into agriculture, shrub and shifting cultivation. Area under shifting cultivation has also been found increased from 104.73 ha to 238.24 ha. The Chepang, the tribal community of the area, is the dominant ethnic group. Other major ethnic groups are Gurung, Magar and Tamang. Chhetri and occupational castes (Kami, Damai, and Sarki) are minor ethnic groups. Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for the people in the study area. The average land holding of registered land is 0.66 ha and that of unregistered land is 0.45 ha per household. Most of these lands are Pakho Bari. About 54 percent of the households also practice slash and burn or shifting cultivation, locally called Khoria, in the area. Khet land is very limited in the area.Maize, fingermillet and blackgram are the main crops widely grown in both Pakho Bari and Khoria. Rice is also grown in limited area. Other minor crops are upland rice (Ghiya), niger, horsegram, buckwheat, ricebean, sorghum and sweetpotato. The GIS exercise has revealed that the area under forest is decreasing which might have accelerated the erosion process, both surface erosion and mass movement and consequently there has been a negative effect on crop productivity.The majority of agriculture (66.56 percent) is practiced in areas with slope > 300 and shifting cultivation is practiced in 70.55 percent of the area, which lies in slope category > 300 in Andheri-Khahare Khola watershed.  An integrated approach to watershed management, incorporating agriculture, forest and soil and water management practices, has been suggested in the report. There is ample scope for increasing food production in a more sustainable manner using different SALT technologies in the area. Cash generating enterprises such as fresh vegetable and vegetable seed production, fruit farming, improved livestock rearing and use of NTFP, could be integrated in the system to increase the incentive to adopt soil conservation and watershed management activities.People of the study area heavily depend on wild foods collected from the forest during the food deficit months. These include Githa, Bhyakur, Tarul, asparagus and other leafy vegetables, and wild fruits. Therefore, study and conservation of these wild foods is an important dimension for the future research.

Geographical Coverage : Chitwan and Tanahun District. 

Funding Support : IDRC, Regional office for South Asia, New Delhi.