Reducing deforestation and soil erosion to improve the livelihoods of poor and vulnerable people in the Churia Hills
CARE-Nepal and Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management have designed the Churia Watershed Management Project jointly. It operates in the Churia Hills, Bhabar and downstream regions of Sarlahi and Mahottari districts of the central Terai. The project integrates valuable lessons from the successful implementation of previous projects, Begnas Tal and Rupa Tal Watershed Management Project in Kaski district and Upper Adhi Khola Watershed Management Project in Syangja. The project started in March 2001 with the assistance of Danida through CARE Danmark and CARE-Nepal.

The project aims to enhance the livelihood security of communities by improving forestry practices, soil and water conservation, sustainable management of natural resources, and agricultural production. It supports decentralization by building the institutional capacity of its partner organizations and monitors the implementation of government policies, strategies and practices for the effective management of resources in the Churia Hills.

More Deforestation and Soil Erosion
The Churia Hills along the northern edge of Nepal·s Terai plains are geologically unstable and prone to natural disasters set off by heavy rain, drought, steep slopes, and loose soil structures. The weak, sandy soils are easily eroded. In recent years, deforestation has accelerated the degradation of natural resources.

Soil erosion results in large amounts of gravel and sand being washed downstream. As the rivers loose speed on flatter ground, they deposit huge amounts of sediment in the riverbeds. This raises the riverbeds and causes the rivers to shift course, eroding the banks of valuable farmland. Flashfloods are occurring more frequently, depositing sand and gravel on fields, destroying standing crops, and reducing the future productivity of the land.

Deforestation is reducing the capacity of the land to hold and recharge water and has increased flood frequency and intensity downstream. Sources of drinking water and irrigation that once provided water all year are now dry in the winter and spring. Deforestation is also causing shortages of timber, firewood, and tree fodder. As the forested area is declining, people must go further for these resources.

Growing population and demand for resources
The Churia Hills were mostly uninhabited until people migrated from the middle hills looking for new land on these steep hills. However, many of them are still officially regarded as illegal settlers with insecure tenancy rights. Hence, rather than constructing terraces, they just cultivate the steep slopes. Though they depend on the forests for their basic needs, the insecurity of their situation gives them little incentive to manage the natural resources efficiently.
The deteriorating environment directly and harshly affects these people. Each year, they have more difficulty obtaining firewood, fodder, and water for drinking and irrigation. Many families are in a cycle of increasing poverty because the only livelihood option left to them is cutting firewood to sell in the bazaar, intensifying the watershed problems.

Poor and unreliable crop production
Agriculture in the Churia Hills does not produce enough food to feed the population, and the surplus produced on the Terai does not reach the hills due to the lack of roads. As firewood becomes scarce, especially in the downstream areas, farmers have started to use animal dung for fuel rather than as fertilizer on the fields. Consequently, the soil quality is deteriorating, leading to decreased crop production or the increased use of expensive chemical fertilizers. Productivity is also decreasing due to floods leaving sediments on fields and in irrigation systems. Many families have become landless as a result of rivers shifting courses.

Disadvantaged & vulnerable groups
Women, low caste, and landless people in the project districts are disadvantaged by their lack of access to literacy, fair wages, decision-making, and access and control over resources. Households headed by women are most vulnerable and have few opportunities.

Two phases of project activities and learning
The project is being implemented in two phases. The first year is the inception and learning phase to analyze the situation of the project area through various studies. It identifies pilot activities that will have the greatest impact and win the support of the community. The lessons learnt in this phase and from other CARE projects guide the implementation of the main phase.

Building institutions for sustainability
To promote institutional and managerial sustainability, the project works with a variety of partners, including settlements, District Forest offices and Soil Conservation offices, Village Development Committees, local non-governmental organizations, community based organizations, private service providers, and district officials. It aims to strengthen their capacity to sustain watershed management activities even after the project phases out. These local institutions identify, implement, and manage the project's activities.

Enabling the disadvantaged and vulnerable
The project addresses socio-cultural, gender and caste equity issues by targeting vulnerable households to improve their livelihoods, capacity, and coping strategies. Gender issues are addressed by having women in the project team to consult and work with women. Dalits (low caste people) and the most vulnerable households are consulted separately to ensure that their needs are voiced and addressed. A separate gender and diversity study done during the inception phase is developing an appropriate strategy for project main phase. It offers gender and dalit sensitive guidelines for project activities, and specific indicators to monitor the flow of benefits to women and dalit households.

Promoting conservation farming
The project introduces environmentally sound practices that have the potential to enhance the livelihood security of poor farmers. These conservation-farming techniques combine indigenous knowledge and local practices with basic ecological principals. The project activities minimize the input of materials from outside the communities.

Working with the local capacity
The project strives to work within the potential technical and organizational capacities of the communities and private service providers. In order to maximize the sustainable impact of the project and use the available resources wisely, it organizes and strengthens the capacities of the communities for better management in the future.

Promoting soil & water conservation
The project implements soil and water conservation activities that provide domestic water supply systems, gully treatment, water source protection, water harvesting ponds, rehabilitation of irrigation systems, promotion of agro-forestry practices, and plantations in degraded community lands.
It identifies potential soil conservation activities and works with local authorities and communities to match funds for their construction and management.

Promoting sustainable resource management
The Churia Hills have the potential for the cultivation of several high-value crops and the harvesting of valuable non-timber forest products. These activities could increase and diversify local employment opportunities for the most vulnerable households. By enhancing the potential production of agricultural and natural resources, it is possible to improve the livelihood security of vulnerable households.

Supporting policies, strategies and practices
The project supports the implementation of policy changes at the community level and monitors their impact. It provides suggestions to the government for more pragmatic policies, strategies and practices to sustainably manage the Churia Hills· resources and the livelihoods of the inhabitants.

The project supports the decentralization process and strengthening of local governance. It organizes forums of all stakeholders from community members to district officials, to collect feedback on policies and to share their learning and experiences on the implications of the policies in the field. Committees at the central level provide strategic guidelines to the project. The project is studying, jointly with the District Forest Offices and District Soil Conservation offices, the current status of Operational Forest Management Plans. These activities are expected to open greater opportunities for more sustainable management of the productive natural resources by the local communities, user groups, and organizations.

Click here to download brochure of Churia Watershed Management Project in pdf.