Increasingly, many areas of Kavre suffer problems with water;  frequently there is not enough. As a result, many community members want to learn livelihood practices that do not require large amounts of water, such as alternative, low-water crops.

On 1 September, 39 community members from the villages of Dapcha and Tinpiple in Nepal’s Kavre District traveled to ICIMOD’s Knowledge Park in Godavari for the day. The goal of the visit was to broaden understanding of innovative and sustainable livelihood techniques and practices. The event was initiated by the Nepal Water Conservation Foundation (NWCF), a partner of ICIMOD’s Koshi Basin Programme.

The visit included demonstrations and information on high-earning crops such as mushrooms and kiwis, income generation activities such as the creation of trout ponds, productive methods of vegetable farming, and methods of cold storage and efficient heating through use of simple technologies such as briquettes. The majority of the group was women. Participants took notes on technique and asked questions related to implementing demonstrated practices.

The head of Godavari, Samden Sherpa facilitate the visit. “It’s about your desire and drive to take up these activities,” Sherpa said. “If you want to take these activities on, ICIMOD will do what it can in its capacity to help you.”

Hari Ram, a participant from Dapcha was happy to have visited. “I feel good about coming here today,” Ram said. “Out of all the things we have seen, I am most interested in trying to grow kiwis and use briquettes in my home.”

ICIMOD and NWCF were happy with the visit, and hope to conduct similar events in the future.

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