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Shifting cultivation has traditionally been viewed as a rudimentary agricultural practice with little economic viability and a major cause of deforestation and environmental degradation
. Consequently, governments and international agencies across continents have – without success – over decades attempted to promote cash crops and replace shifting cultivation with settled agriculture
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This First HKH Assessment Report consists of 16 chapters, which comprehensively assess the current state of knowledge of the HKH region, increase the understanding of various drivers of change and their impacts, address critical data gaps and develop a set of evidence-based and actionable policy solutions and recommendations
. These are linked to nine mountain priorities for the mountains and people of the HKH consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals
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This open access volume is the first comprehensive assessment of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region
. It comprises important scientific research on the social, economic, and environmental pillars of sustainable mountain development and will serve as a basis for evidence-based decision-making to safeguard the environment and advance people’s well-being. The compiled content is based on the collective knowledge of over 300 leading researchers, experts and policymakers, brought together by the Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme (HIMAP) under the coordination of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). This assessment was conducted between 2013 and 2017 as the first of a series of monitoring and assessment reports, under the guidance of the HIMAP Steering Committee: Eklabya Sharma (ICIMOD), Atiq Raman (Bangladesh), Yuba Raj Khatiwada (Nepal), Linxiu Zhang (China), Surendra Pratap Singh (India), Tandong Yao (China) and David Molden (ICIMOD and Chair of the HIMAP SC). This First HKH Assessment Report consists of 16 chapters, which comprehensively assess the current state of knowledge of the HKH region, increase the understanding of various drivers of change and their impacts, address critical data gaps and develop a set of evidence-based and actionable policy solutions and recommendations. These are linked to nine mountain priorities for the mountains and people of the HKH consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals. This book is a must-read for policy makers, academics and students interested in this important region and an essentially important resource for contributors to global assessments such as the IPCC reports
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The Sikkim Himalayan Traditional Farming Systems (TFS) show good examples of how indigenously managed small patches of cultivated production agroecosystems constitute a larger landscape management approach and how contribution of such agriculture by the small-scale marginal land has contributed to ecological, economical and food security while providing employment to over 80% of the population directly or indirectly dependent on them
. Mountain food security is mostly dependent on small and marginal TFS which are dynamic and exhibit examples of indigenously managed farm-based, farm forest-based, Alnus-cardamom-based, forest-cardamom-based and Albizia-mixed tree-mandarin-based homegarden agroforestry systems. Multipurpose tree density was remarkably high (198–284 ha−1) in agroforestry systems and contributes > 200 species of NTFPs which are sold in the weekly hatts (small movable markets) for earning cash. Indigenous soil fertility management through tree-based N fertilization of soil has proved beneficial with alder contributing 95–116 N kg ha−1 year−1 while Albizia contributing 14–22 kg N ha−1 year−1. Of the identified livelihood options, employment and remittances contributed 53% to household income, large cardamom contributed 29.20%, generating an average income of US$ 911 year−1 household−1, followed by livestock, which contributed 12%. The remaining sources of income were other cash crops, beekeeping, off-farm labour and employment under the MGNREGA, which together contributed only 4% of household income. Output to input ratios in the form of cash were clearly the highest in cardamom-based agroforestry and proved to be the most energy efficient and economically viable, as well as the most cost effective, among all agroforestry systems. Climate variation in the region has contributed to an unpredictable or erratic rainfall pattern, drying up of local springs and streams, species migration to higher elevations, shift of sowing and harvesting period of crops, emergence of invasive species and incidence of diseases/pests in crops as well as in fodder species. Under such circumstances, promotion of homegarden agroforestry systems through community innovations and investments would be a successive strategy for adaptation, mitigation and livelihood security. At the wake of climate scenarios and the pressure of globalization, revitalization of small and marginal farms and production agroecosystems, which emphasizes diversity, synergy, recycling and integration, and social processes that value community participation and empowerment, proves to be perhaps one of the only viable options to meet present and future food needs and adaptation to climate change. The “Organic Mission” of the Government of Sikkim is expected to enhance farmers’ livelihood strategies, particularly in areas under high ecological, climatic and economic stresses and risks
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This study illustrates how a private sector- Plantec Coffee Estate (P) Ltd was able to successfully bring a positive change in restoring degraded landscape through private investment
. Before establishment of agroforestry (1994), the land use was dominated by cultivated (73.2%), barren land (17.1%) and shrub/bushes (6.3%). Now 81.2% of area is covered by forest, out of which 52% has closed canopy. The total carbon stock of an area was found to be 6795 tons (equivalent to 24,939 tCO2), which cost would be USD 124,693 at the rate of 5 USD per tCO2. This finding also highlighted the fact that agroforestry in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region is a suitable biological mitigation intervention that contributes to NDC targets and REDD+ objectives
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The Annual Report 2015 gives a brief overview of ICIMOD’s activities over the past year
. It presents progress and impacts across the broad areas of policy engagement, mountain innovations and community practices, capacity building, knowledge generation and use, facilitating regional cooperation, and regional and global outreach, as well as a special section on ICIMOD’s 2015 Gorkha Earthquake Response. The Centre’s audited financial report is also included in the report to ensure that ICIMOD maintains fiscal accountability and transparency
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The Ministry of Agricultural Development (MoAD), Government of Nepal and the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) join hands together to develop the Agriculture Atlas of Nepal
. The application, developed under SERVIR-Himalaya initiative, provides free access to information on crops (cereals, cash crops, legumes, vegetables and fruits) and livestock which is useful for agriculture planning, research and overall economic development of the country. The Agriculture Atlas section of the application allows visualization of district based agriculture statistics for any given agriculture product in the form of map atlas whereas the District Profile section of the application allows viewing of agriculture statistics for any given district in the form of chart..
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Shifting cultivation is a dominant form of farming in the eastern Himalayas, practised by a diverse group of indigenous people from the most marginalized social and economic groups
. The survival of these indigenous people and the survival of their forests are inextricably linked. However, policy makers and natural resource managers perceive shifting cultivation to be wasteful, destructive to forests, and unsustainable. Although policies have tried to ban it or ‘wean’ shifting cultivators away from the practice by incentivizing them to take up alternative options, shifting cultivation persists. As a result, neither the livelihood issues of the shifting cultivators nor the health of the forest ecosystems on which shifting cultivation depends are properly protected. Shifting cultivators and policy makers must seek common ground to improve shifting cultivation for farmers and forests. A joint solution is also required to address climate change as good forest cover plays a prominent role in the sequestration of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. This publication is the result of research undertaken in Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal on the promotion of innovative policy and development options for improving shifting cultivation in the eastern Himalayas. It is divided into two parts: Part 1 presents the findings of the study on the effect of government policies on customary tenure and institutions and alternative options. Part 2 presents a discussion of the findings of the three countries as well as some general and country-wise recommendations. It is hoped that the findings of the research will enable governments to improve their shifting cultivation polices, which will, in turn, help shifting cultivators to improve their economic and social status
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this book documenting over 30 years of cooperation between Nepal and ICIMOD
. Since the Centre’s inception, Nepal has played a key role in moving ICIMOD toward its goals of improving the lives of mountain people in the Hindu Kush Himalayas – by spearheading its formation, by hosting the ICIMOD Headquarters, by playing an active role in ICIMOD’s activities, and by cooperation with ICIMOD to take the message of the mountains to the global community. It is certain that the Centre would not be what it is today without the support and cooperation of many different people and organizations in Nepal
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The ICIMOD Knowledge Park at Godavari, on the southern slopes of the Kathmandu Valley, was set up in March 1993 following the generous provision of 30 hectares of land by Government of Nepal in November 1992
. The site was originally named the ‘Godavari Trial and Demonstration Site’, and was intended for testing and demonstration of various methodologies related to integrated mountain development and sustainable farming practices on the sloping land of the mid-hills of the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. The main characteristics of the site are summarized overleaf
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