Back to solutions
1 Jan 2020 | NEPCAT approaches

Protected gullies – a traditional sustainable land management practice

1 min Read

70% Complete

Protected gullying is a sustainable land management practice initiated and maintained by the traditional community approach; it is based on indigenous knowledge and uses only locally available materials.

Sustainable land management aims to prevent soil erosion and to increase productivity; it can take on different forms depending on the exigencies of the terrain. In Kabhrepalanchok District, where the slope of the land is not too steep, farmers use gullies controlled using indigenous techniques to protect fertile agricultural land, to minimize erosion, and to help prevent landslides near villages.

For more than two hundred years, land users in jagidol (jagi=rice, dol=gully) villages practiced gully control and they have developed innovative methods for deployment and maintenance of gullies. Periodically, the whole community is involved in discussions for planning and implementation of new measures, but for the most part only routine repairs are needed and the individual farmers whose properties border the gullies shoulder the main responsibility for maintaining them. When severe flooding events cause many gullies to collapse, materials are collected locally and the whole village cooperates in the rebuilding. Both men and women are involved; men usually help with the heavy digging when new gullies are established or during crises when many gullies collapse at once and women are involved in the day-to-day maintenance of the gullies. Communities in villages higher up in the hills have used this approach for a long time; their gullies are more mature and well-entrenched and are reinforced by mature bio-engineering measures. Gullies in villages situated lower down the slope are usually more recently established and typically still require regular maintenance.

Sharada Batase VDC, Kabhrepalanchok District, Nepal

WOCAT database reference: QA NEP 25

Location: Sharada Batase VDC, Kabhrepalanchok District, Nepal

Approach area: Approximately 1 km2

Land use: Waterways, drainage lines, ponds, and dams

Type of approach: This is a traditional approach that has been practised for at least 200 years.

Focus: Mainly on conservation with religious, cultural, and ecological significance

Related technology: Sustainable land management using controlled gullying in ‘jagidol’ areas (QT NEP 25)

Stakeholders/target groups: Land users, individuals and groups

Compiled by: Sabita Aryal Khanna, Kathmandu University

Date: November 2010, updated March 2013

Download PDF

 

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT approaches
Land distribution and allocation for riverbed farming

Riverbed farming provides landless and land-poor households with the possibility to earn an income from on-farm activities close to home At ...

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT approaches
Integrated watershed management for landslip and stream bank stabilisation

Integrated watershed management as an example for landslip and stream bank stabilisation based on fostering a partnership between community institutions, ...

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT approaches
Participatory hedgerow management

Hedgerow technology can be introduced through the joint participation of farmers, scientists, and related stakeholders. The whole community works together ...

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT approaches
Farmer field schools on integrated plant nutrient systems

Participatory and collaborative learning through the farmer field school approach There are different ways of carrying out agricultural extension. Farmer field ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT approaches
Local initiatives for rehabilitating degraded communal grazing land

Supporting local initiatives and building local capacity for the rehabilitation of degraded communal land in the middle mountains of Nepal The ...

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT approaches
Improving terraces with farmers

Participatory action research with multiple stakeholders for the demonstration and extension of improved rainfed hill terraces in Nepal The traditional farming ...

31 Dec 2019 NEPCAT approaches
Evaluation of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

Conducting participatory action research with farmers and district level line agencies for demonstrating, disseminating and scaling up SRI PARDYP pilot tested ...

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT approaches
Learning about no-till methods through farmer-to-farmer dissemination

Farmer to farmer dissemination of information on no-till methods for garlic cultivation technology Farmers can learn about alternative or newer methods ...