Churia Area Program (CAP)
Location: Sarlahi and Mahottari Districts
Project Period: January 2004 – December 2006
Major Donors: European Union, CARE Osterreich
Total Budget: € (EURO) 642,955 (75% GOA and 25 CARE Austria)
Partners: Jagaran Abhiyan Nepal - Sarlahi
Local Development Training Centre- Mahottari
Samaj Utthan Yuva Kentra- Dhanusha
Target Group: A total of 56,735 persons will directly benefit from this program. These direct beneficiaries are: 52,880 members of at least 60 communities from 15 village development committees in three districts, 3,000 school children, 150 school teachers, and 705 village development committee personnel.

 

Key Focus:

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Support on policy and strategy formulation
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National Strategy for Churia Area
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District Forestry Sector Plans
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Pilot initiations
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Reclamation of degraded land (income generation and conservation)
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Advocacy for land rights (conservation and livelihood)
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Action research (pro-poor participatory forest management)

Implementation approach/How project activities are implemented?

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 Jointly annual program planning with Danida/CARE Danmark Churia Watershed Management Project (Complementing support)
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 Participatory District Forestry Sector Plans – District Forestry Offices took lead and project supports
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 Government agencies and NGOs supported users groups in carrying out degraded activity in small watershed areas.
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 A national NGO supported two local NGOs to advance the land right advocacy issues and link conservation with livelihood

Project Relevance

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Project attempted to influence the government for Churia specific Strategy combined with pilot initiatives at local community level to meet the dual purpose of conservation and sustainable livelihoods.
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Project strived to reach to the poor vulnerable and socially excluded groups of people majority of whom lived in the inner parts of Churia that sustains frequent land slides and loss of soil and water.
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People at local community and district level have started talking about conservation needs of Churia, and the ways in which it has been influencing their livelihoods, economic welfare and life. CAP was found highly relevant in Nepal's policy environment.

Effectiveness

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 The planning and analytical capacity of stakeholders in relation to the challenges and opportunities of Churia had enhanced to a much deeper and broader level
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 The planning and analytical capacity of stakeholders in relation to the challenges and opportunities of Churia had enhanced to a much deeper and broader level
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 CAPS was review by national level stakeholders, and Government officials
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 New initiatives were successfully implemented targeting at inner Churia and their poor and vulnerable inhabitants under integrated conservation and development approach
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 Assisted preparation of District Forestry Sector Plans in partnership
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 Successfully demonstrated that the degraded land rehabilitation enhanced the confidence of target beneficiaries
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 Significant level of awareness and empowerment of especially women and poor vulnerable and socially excluded people was achieved through land rights advocacy
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 Action research was instrumental in inducing inclusive, equitable and just management of community forests including enhancing their trust and confidence to participate in community based natural resource management

Effects/Impacts

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 A bottom up planning approach got institutionalized to some extent in addressing the livelihood security needs of the Churia people and the conservation needs of Churia as a vulnerable landscape,
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 Participatory Wellbeing Ranking was largely recognized as a tool to identify the needs, concerns and interests of target beneficiaries to fit into the project initiatives.
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 Successful in creating conservation awareness among target beneficiaries and also among neighboring communities to some extent
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 Succeeded to sensitizing people at district line agency and wider civil society level:
 
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It is high time to attend to the conservation needs of Churia and the livelihood needs of the people living in and around it;
 
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Without a coordinated approach, improved governance structure and resource allocation from district level, the dual purpose of Churia conservation and livelihood security is not possible.
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 Increased confidence and dignity among poor vulnerable and socially excluded groups and women reflected in their increased participation, networking and emerging leadership
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 Poor governance in local NGOs/CBOs is being increasingly confronted by poor vulnerable and socially excluded groups and women.
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 After three years of CAP implementation, the CSOs have emerged strongly to advocate for Churia conservation and the media has been getting proactive on Churia issues.

Sustainability

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 Project demonstrated the cost effective and locally feasible technology of land reclamation.
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 Land rights advocacy has created a social vibration which is unlikely to be responded adequately at policy level in near future.
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 An effective implementation of CAPS would require a decentralized yet coordinated institutional arrangement at district level to ensure its effective implementation.
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 People living in and around Churia have sustained acute poverty since decades. The right-based approach to intervention infused through awareness, empowerment, skills/capacity and planning and implementation of target beneficiary's priorities demonstrated its great potentialities.

Conclusion:

  Degraded land rehabilitation which was associated with livelihood of women, ethnic and dalit communities was found a progressive step for empowerment of socio-economically and environmentally vulnerable group of people
  Land right advocacy provided insights to CAP strategy formulation from humanitarian and environmental aspects. In future, it would benefit through networking with women’s, dalits and indigenous populations rights
  All new initiatives tended to be creating certain ways for alternative livelihood and contributing to conservation of the degraded land. From GED perspective, the activities are significantly inclusive. This however, needs further refinement to ensure their involvement in redefining social relationships.
For further information contact :

CARE International in Nepal
Pulchowk, Krishna Galli
Lalitpur
Phone: 977-1-5522800
E-mail: care@carenepal.org