Community Training Manual: Greening of the Allo Product Value Chain; ICIMOD Manual 2017

Allo (Botanical name: Girardinia diversifolia (Link) Friis; English name: nettle, Himalayan nettle) is a perennial shrub belonging to the Urticaceae family. It is widely distributed in the subtropical and temperate Himalayas. In Nepal, the plant is spread from east to west between the altitudes of 1,200 to 3,500 masl. The bark of the allo plant contains fibres that possess unique strength, smoothness, and silk-like lustre. Allo is found in abundance in the forests and fallow lands of Naugad Rural Municipality in Nepal’s Darchula District. Fifty percent of all allo in Darchula comes from Naugad. The allo value chain is a pro-poor value chain as it is mostly women and the poor—with little to no land, and dependent on forests— who are engaged in the collection of allo bark and the production of allo thread and cloth to sell in the local market.