1. Leasehold Forestry- A New Mode of NR Management

2. General Background Forest area – 39.6% Agrarian economy –
Per capita arable land
0.6 hac hac.
Land holding
upper 5% lower 60%
40% 20%

3. Project Background Project Duration Project Coverage
1992/93 to 2002/2003
Project Coverage
10 Mid Hill Districts

4. Programme Area (26 districts)
Nepal
Programme Area (26 districts)

5. Objectives The project had two objectives:
alleviate poverty of poor rural households.
rehabilitate the degraded forestland in the hills.

6. Strategies
Handover degraded forest land to the people below poverty line for the period of 40 years
Degraded land
Shrub land
Land below 20% crown cover
Rescued encroached land
Ecologically fragile land
Recovered river bed

7. Strategies Continued...... Eligibility criteria to be member of LHF.
a. 0.5 hac. land per family.
b. per capita income per year, Rs 6100.
Use of PRA tools then differentiates them into poor, very poor and ultra poor.

8. INTERVENTION IMPACT INTERCOURSE
Increased family welfare and improved livelihood
Increased manure
Reduced pressure on forest vegetation
Opportunity to attend more meetings, training and literacy class
Opportunity to diversify income sources
Increased availability of livestock products
Increased household income
Improved education and social status for women
Improved environmental conditions
Increased food production and sufficiency
Increased income from livestock products
Increased time available for women
Increased stall feeding
Increased quality and productivity of livestock
Leasehold group formation and forest hand-over
Training and inputs
Access to credit
Increased fodder from leasehold and private land

9. Outcomes Enhancement in human capital:
increase in food security (16% per person per month)
improvement of quality of food.
time saving in collecting fuel wood and fodder (2.5 hours per household per day)

10. Enhancement of Social Capital:
rise in literacy and empowerment of women.
decision making.
before years after
10% women only 25% women only
30% joint 55% joint
60% male 20% male only

11. Improvements on physical assets.
increase in livestock number.
better housing condition.

12. Improvement on Natural Capital:
increase in greenery and bio-diversity.
increase in productivity.

14. Lessons learnt Strengths
Individual/quasi individual ownership in decision making - easier, simpler and effective.
Against social exclusion.  
Constant and continuous monitoring. through locally based women community mobilizers.
Participatory approach.

15. Continued..... Income directly goes to the household level.
Vulnerabilities reduced by saving and credit
Multiple sources of livelihoods.
Environmental amelioration through simple land management practices
Pro poor Leasehold Forestry is Pastoral based, meat supply is in shortage, so there is no dearth of market.

16. Continued..... Weaknesses Vulnerable to external interference.
Difficult to accommodate all due to large number of ultra poor. 
Gestation period long for degraded land.
Limited outreach of the Bank.
The policy and legal framework for LHF are still insufficient.

17. Opportunities
Forest area has the potential capacity to reduce poverty through silvo-pastoral management.
institutionalization of poor.
empower (social inclusion).
target focused

18. THANK YOU