This document discusses how agroforestry may help address food security concerns under climate change in Nepal. It notes that Nepal has a large agricultural and forested land area but many policies discourage integration of forests and farming. The document analyzes several Nepalese agroforestry systems and policies that restrict growing food crops in community forests. It argues this narrow view of forests undermines sustainability and food security. The document advocates for more supportive policies and tenure systems to enhance forest-farm linkages and sustainability.

1. Can Agroforestry address food security concerns under a changing climate?
Chalmers University of Technology
11-12 Nov 2014
Integrating forest and farm for food security
and climate resilience
• Naya S Paudel
• Yub R Subedi
• Swoyambhu M Amatya

2. Nepal: economy and resources
One of the poorest countries, with:
 Population
26.6m
 Area
147,181 sq. km
 Farming population >75%
 GDP from Agri 33%
 Forest Area
40%
 Agricultural land 21%
Forest
Agriculture
Non-cultivated
Grassland
Others
government
managed
community
managed
Land use ratio
Forest tenure

3. Major agroforestry systems (farm based)
• Inter cropping with horticulture trees
• Trees in/around agricultural fields
• Home garden (plain and hills)
• Agri-silvi-pastoral system
• Silvo-fishery
• Api-culture: trees and bees
• Seri-culture: trees and silkworms

4. Lower elevation (<1500m) Agriculture in the hills
• settlement in bottom of hill
• flat, irrigated terraced- 'khet‘
• paddy, vegetables
Higher elevation (1500-3000m)
• rainfed terraces know as ‘Bari’
• steeper terraces ‘pakho bari’
• maize, millet, and rainfed crop
• fodder and forage

5. Common agroforestry systems (forest based)
• Silvi-pastoral system (Mountains)
• Crops under forest trees/fruit trees
• Alley cropping
• Shifting cultivation
• Small woodlots

6. Compartmentalised management undermines
environmental integrity
Dept-Soil
conservation
DoF
Land
reform
Irrigation
Dept of Road
Agriculture
DNPWC
Environment
Ministry of water
resources

7. Dominant understanding of forests
• The modern notion of 'forest’ represented a special category of land that
was largely managed for power, pleasure and rentals by the kings and
novelties (Fay and Michon 2005).
• This notion narrowly valued tree, vegetation and biomass which gradually
became an ideology that neither respects ecosystem integrity nor socio-economic
& cultural values of any society (Michon et al. 2007).
• Forest authorities appear generally less concerned with the local and national
economies (Kennedy et al. 2001).
• It often considers agriculture, its associated activities and actors such as
peasants and local communities as enemy (Westoby 1979).

8. National forest policy and regulatory framework
were shaped accordingly
• Nationalization (Forests in 1957; pasture land in 1982)
• Expansion of protected areas (now a quarter of landmass)
• Forest as strict, sacred sites (Forest Act 1961, forest policy 1976,
Forest Act 1991, NPWC Act 1973)
• Sustainability of a forest patch (Conservative management plans;
conservation calculation of AAH)
• Restrictive regulation: (in management, harvesting, tourism,
hydropower, etc.)
• Kept distance with farming (discourage tea, coffee, cardamom)
• 40% forestland intact (in new forest sector strategy)

9. CF regulations discourage food crops
Regulations Provisions
Forest Regulations
1995 article 28 (2)
CFUGs can plant cash crops which yields products for a long time
other than food crops in the Community Forest without adversely
affecting the crown cover and production of the main forest
product
Forest Regulations
1995 article 31 Prohibits: To clear Forest areas for agricultural purposes’ (31, b);
To build huts and houses (31, c)
CF Guidelines 2009,
Annex 8
No agricultural crop can be grown in CF land. However, cash crops
such as fodder, grass, cardamom, broom grass, medicinal plants
and fruit trees can be grown in land allocated to the identified
poor households
CF Guidelines 2009,
Annex 10 (15)
Perennial Plants other than food crops, such as bamboo, fruits,
NTFPs can be grown in CF in condition that it would not affect the
density and production of main forest products.
CF Guidelines 2009,
Annex 14 (2)
No cereal crop (e.g. rice, maize…) and those crops which involved
tilling of land (e.g. ginger, turmeric…) can be grown in CF land

10. Restrictive measures endanger wider sustainability
Farming relies on distant
manufactured inputs
• Rice straw from Terai
• Feed from India
• Broiler chicken replaced goat
(every inputs imported)
• Tractors replaced ploughs
• Chemical fertilizer replaced
manure
Induced import of timber and fuel
• Timber (Malaysia, Thailand, Cameroon)
• Furniture (mainly from China)
• Aluminum (India)
• Kerosene/LP gas (esp. in ACAP)

11. CFUG
National
government
NAPA, Climate
Change Policy,
REDD+ Strategy UNFCCC

12. Some observation
• Forest management in general and community forestry in
particular provide little support to food security
• The narrow conceptualisation of forest has shaped regulatory
provisions that discourage forest-farm integration
• Compartmentalised and departmentalised land use policies
and practice has undermined broader sustainability
• Clear, comprehensive and secure tenure with supportive
policy and institutions help enhance forest-farm linkages
towards sustainability and productivity

14. Our approach to research for food security and environment
PAR at
site level
Reflective synthesis of
the knowledge
Policy
dialogue
Roundtable
Presentation
Media engagement
Contribute through
task force, working
groups
Informed
policy
process
Epistemic
community
Improved policy
and practice in
NRM
Empowering
communities, networks

15. Forest Act amendment bill: A successful case
Media reports
FECOFUN protest
Government proposal
Discussion paper Policy round table
Field research
Amendment
bill withdrawn

16. Restructuring of
ADS
Government
Started ADS
Politicise/
publicise the issue
Policy
engagement
We reviewed
the process and
content
Alliances with
networks
Media
engagement
Policy advocacy on:
Agriculture
Development
Strategy