Completed project
Sustainable Forest Management
2004 to 2014
CAD$ 28,000
provided by CIDA
2000 direct beneficiaries (1200 women / 800 men)
48.000 indirect beneficiaries (28.000 women / 20.000 men)
Federation of Community Forestry Users Group of Nepal (FECOFUN)
- Asia Network of Himalayan Bio Trade Limited (HBTL)
- Integrated Development Society (IDS-Nepal)
Nepal: Toward sustainable, profitable and socially responsible forestry
With over half its population living on less than US $1.25 per day, Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. In a region where 80% of the population live in rural areas, agriculture forms the base of the economy. However, low productivity means that agricultural producers engage mainly in subsistence agriculture with little profit.
Since 1995, an innovative concept known as community forestry has developed in the sector. The government has implemented a decentralization policy for forest management by transferring control over land and resources to local communities. Nepali forests are then managed by community Forest Users Groups (FUGs), which have united under the Federation of Community Forestry Users Group of Nepal (FECOFUN). Since 2004, this organization has been supported by the Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) project of Uniterra, a volunteer cooperation program operated jointly by World University Service of Canada (WUSC) and CECI.
Through partnerships with local organizations, the project works at several levels: it strengthens the capacities of FECOFUN’s central office and also provides technical support needed to acquire FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification, develop micro-businesses and market non-timber forest products.
Six years after its implementation, project successes are tangible: new opportunities for commercialization for community user groups have been developed, four new processing plants for handmade paper and essential oils have been opened, retail prices have increased, and FECOFUN’s international visibility has been improved.
In the words of Sagun Bista, Uniterra program manager in Nepal, “Being active on all fronts helps create and consolidate markets that are sustainable both ecologically and socially.”
A sustainable economic success that drives positive social change, the project exemplifies the social and solidarity economy – proving yet again that it is when the economy is put to wise use for the people that it produces its best results.