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This Farmers Resource Book is based on a series of field consultations with large cardamom growers, field observations, focus group discussions, and surveys conducted in the large cardamom farming areas of Sikkim and the Kalimpong region of West Bengal, India, and Taplejung District, Nepal
. A large amount of available literature was reviewed to relate and validate the information. This Farmers Resource Book is a ready-made guide for large cardamom farmers to learn, share, and exchange knowledge and experiences for reviving and expanding large cardamom cultivation in Nepal and elsewhere. It is envisaged that the cultivation of large cardamom, adopting appropriate climate-resilient practices and management procedures, will bring a significant change in the sustainability of agro ecologically sound large cardamom-based traditional farming systems. This change will contribute immensely to the improvement of livelihoods of the marginal farmers in Nepal and in other countries where large cardamom is growing
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Problems arising from water scarcity and water-induced disasters are increasing due to factors induced by climatic variability as well as anthropogenic changes
. In such a situation, power inherent to social hierarchy has become a means of controlling water resources and securing access. Moreover, in many cases the increased competition for water has led some to achieve individual water goals at the cost of collective goals, creating social conflict and chaos and further increasing gender inequity in water. Water related decisions are important not only to ensure access to water, but also to gain and expand the power base that is built through accessing water. Water decisions are gendered and often in the hands of some powerful men in most societies. Access to water is often a challenge for women and marginalized members of society. Given the changing demographics of Nepal, with increased long-term male migration for remittance-based foreign employment, the overall responsibilities, including water works, have fallen on women’s shoulders. Gender concerns in water sector development have hence become more important than ever
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Apple plays an important role in the livelihood of the farming community in Chitral, Pakistan
. The commercial varieties of apple planted in orchards in Chitral, for example, Kala Kola (Red Delicious), Choupush (Royal Delicious), and Royal Gala, are reported to be partially or completely self-incompatible and require crosspollination for commercial yield and fruit quality. Honeybees are reported to play an important role in apple pollination. However, awareness about the crucial role of honeybees and beekeeping is lacking among farmers and development workers as well as at policy level in mountain areas of the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) including Chitral
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Bottom-up participatory planning is an ongoing practice within and outside government planning processes in the Hindu Kush Himalaya
. Community-led micro-planning begins at the grassroots level. Ideally it influences higher level planning and represents grassroots population in the decision-making process. Many communities have become more vulnerable and face greater risks due to climate and other changes including development interventions driven by outsiders. Community people have few options and limited capacity to cope with and adapt to current and future threats. Most countries in the developing world including Bhutan have recognized this challenge and the need to devise local strategies and solutions through bottom-up participatory planning processes. Community-led micro-planning is part of the strategy of the Support to Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation Programme (Himalica) of ICIMOD to ensure the sustainability of pilot interventions by fostering local leadership and people’s participation
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This Package of Practices (POP) was prepared with the goal of promoting climate-resilient cardamom value chain in Nepal
. The intervention is carried out under the ‘Support to Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation in the Himalaya – Himalica’, a demand-driven programme funded by the European Union and managed by ICIMOD. The Environment Conservation and Development Forum (ECDF) has joined hands with ICIMOD to implement the pilot project in Taplejung, with the objective of improving the resilience of mountain women and men in selected clusters through designing and implementing context/target community specific interventions on cardamom value chain and its associated sub-chains. The overall objective of Himalica is to reduce poverty among mountain men and women and children by unlocking new livelihood opportunities and promoting more equitable approaches for livelihood improvement and resilient communities. The pilot projects are designed around three broad areas: 1) improved management of resources (ensure the sustainability of the production system), 2) income diversification (adding value by upgrading products, processes, linkages, and diversification of products), and 3) institutional strengthening (with a focus on gender, social inclusion and governance). In line with the overall concept and strategy of Himalica pilots, one important intervention is to develop a POP with a list of technologies/practices which are to be promoted along with training and demonstration strategies for improving cardamom production systems in Taplejung district as a whole and to showcase demonstrated effects in selected pilot villages. The POP provides detailed information on practices and technologies to support local implementing partners including nongovernmental organizations, vocational training institutions, research and academic institutions and communitybased organizations to implement pilot activities aimed at making value chain climate resilient
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Bhutan experiences frequent hydrometeorological disasters
. In terms of relative exposure to flood risk as a percentage of population, Bhutan ranks fourth highest in the Asia-Pacific region, with 1.7% of its total population exposed to flood risk. It is likely that climate change will increase the frequency and severity of flood disasters in Bhutan. Inequalities in society are often amplified at the times of disaster and people living in poverty, especially women, the elderly, and children, are particularly vulnerable to flood hazards. Timely and reliable flood forecasting and early warnings that consider the needs of both women and men can contribute to saving lives and property. Early warning systems (EWSs) that are people-centred, accurate, timely, and understandable to communities at risk and that recommend the appropriate action to be taken by vulnerable communities can save people more effectively
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Koshi is a trans-boundary river that flows in China, Nepal and India
. The river originates from Tibet in China and flows through Nepal and India covering 87,481 km2 area and provides livelihoods for almost 40 million people, most of who depend on subsistence agriculture. The river is also a major source of sorrow for downstream population of Nepal and India due to occasional catastrophic flooding and intense flow of debris. The three countries through which the river passes have their own policies that may be adequate in compartment, but lack in integrated approach and therefore unable to optimize on this vast resource on a basin scale and unable to develop integrated plan to fight with water related hazards. These limitations are leading to high prevalence of poverty and food insecurity in the populated areas of the basin in these three countries. The on-going impact of climate change has further worsened the problem due to more extreme weather events like frequent flood and drought hazards in the basin which ultimately threatened the livelihood options of the Koshi dwellers. In the context of trans-boundary basin, a policy adopted by the upstream could generate either positive or negative externality to the downstream and there is a policy vacuum in the context of whole basin. In this backdrop, this chapter discusses, national and regional policies, institutional frameworks, bi-lateral and multi-lateral arrangements as main drivers in addressing or failing to address the issues of disaster risk and livelihood vulnerabilities of communities living in the Kosi basin. This chapter calls for a better understanding and analysis of water, climate change, agricultural and disaster risk reduction policies related institutional frameworks is essential so that a comprehensive and coordinated institutional approach to optimize the basin’s natural resources, reduction in hazard impacts and overall livelihood improvement can be achieved. This chapter also calls for effective management and regional cooperation in the Koshi river basin through continuous dialogue and for just water resource sharing among the riparian countries
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Beekeeping contributes to rural development by supporting agricultural production through pollination and by providing honey, wax, and other products for home use and sale
. It offers a good way for resource-poor farmers in the Hindu Kush Himalayas to obtain income, as it requires only a small start-up investment, can be carried out in a small space close to the home, and generally yields profits within a year of operation. A modern approach to bee management, using frame hives and focusing on high quality, will help farmers benefit most fully from beekeeping. This manual is designed to help provide beekeepers with the up-to-date training they need. It presents an inclusive curriculum developed through ICIMOD’s work with partner organizations in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal, supported by the Austrian Development Agency. A wide range of stakeholders – trainers, trainees, government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), associations and federations, and private entrepreneurs – were engaged in the identification of curriculum needs and in development and testing of the curriculum. The manual covers the full range of beekeeping-related topics, including the use of bees for crop pollination; production of honey, wax and other hive products; honey quality standards; and using value chain and market management to increase beekeepers’ benefits. It also includes emerging issues and innovations regarding such subjects as indigenous honeybees, gender and equity, integrated pest management, and bee-related policy. The focus is on participatory hands-on training, with clear explanations in simple language and many illustrations. The manual provides a basic resource for trainers and field extension workers in government and NGOs, universities, vocational training institutes, and private sector organizations, and for local trainers in beekeeping groups, beekeeping resource centres, cooperatives, and associations, for use in training Himalayan farmers. Individual ICIMOD regional member countries are planning local language editions adapted for their countries’ specific conditions
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