With an aim to holistically address and tackle the issues of the marginalized community living under the risk of landslides and extreme poverty, Bighnaharta Nepal initiated the project, Bio-engineering Social Enterprise for Disaster Risk Reduction and Livelihood Upliftment in Raksirang Rural Municipality, Makwanpur district.
The area is mostly inhabited by the Chepang community, which is categorized as the second-most marginalized community in Nepal. In addition to having to face the long-historic socio-economic and political marginalization, poverty, food insecurity, and under-utilization of natural resources, the community is also prone to face the extreme dangers of landslides as they live in the vicinity of the dense forest in the isolated, rugged hill ranges.
The project aimed to address the dangers of landslides, establish a sustainable means of living, and ensure food security for the Chepang community through the plantation of Broom Grass (Thysanolaena maxima) in landslide-prone areas. Broom grass, locally known as Amriso, possesses a strong root system that binds the soil mitigating the risk of landslides.
The project has been divided into four major phases. The first phase consists of engaging the Chepang households of Raksirang Rural Municipality to plant Broom Grass (Thysanolaena maxima) in landslide-prone areas. As a labor charge for planting broom grass, the second phase consists of providing the community with necessary food supplies under the “food for work” modality. Upon yielding the plant, as a part of phase three, essential training is provided to the community to help produce environment-friendly and sustainable brooms. Finally, the finished products are supplied to the distributors in the market, establishing a sustainable means of earning for the Chepang households.
As of now, the project has been able to mitigate the risks of landslides by 90% and benefit a total of 1610 Chepang households from all nine wards of the Municipality who were previously dependent on labor work and daily wages for their livelihood. Additionally, the community has been able to generate a sense of empowerment and ownership for the ecosystem management as the locals are running the project under the assistantship of the local government.
Project Impact
- A total of 1610 Chepang households have been engaged as direct beneficiaries.
- User commitees have been formed in all nine wards prioritizing female members, promoting gender inclusivity and empowerment.
- 500 to 2,000 saplings have been distributed per household, resulting in the planting of over 900,000 saplings.
- Broom grass has been planted in 1174 landslide-prone areas (Khoriya) and 423 barren lands, helping to stabilize soil and prevent further land degradation .
- Training programs for broom making have been provided in all nine wards prioritizing female members of the households.
- 800000+ brooms were produced contributing significantly to local economies.
- On average, households have generated an income of NPR 20,000 to 40,000 from broom sales per harvest.
- Landslide occurrences have been mitigated by 90% in the first phase of the project.
- Effective agrowaste management has been implemented through the production of paper.