1. Sustainable agriculture promotion
To combat food scarcity and government's rice transport from the south to make rice available in cheap price to people in the district, HDI promotes sustainable agriculture. The local people and farmers are provided with basic training with some support on necessary materials for agricultural production. The concept of organic farming and permaculture will be imparted to the farmers' groups emphasizing the production of local crops. Besides, emphasis is given in the consumption of local food crops, such as, panicum and finger millet, buckwheat, foxtail millet which grow even in less rainfall. Some new recipes will be introduced for the consumption of these local food crops. NIDS collaborate with LIBIRD to implement program activities on agriculture and biodiversity planned for Syanda VDC. Similar activities in other VDCs will be implemented by NIDS.
2. NTFP and biodiversity conservation
Humla is rich in natural resources as well as non-timber forest products mainly the medicinal herbs. One person or more from almost all the households are involved in collection of the herbs and sell them to the local businessmen for their income. Although there has been vast knowledge of the use of such herbs, the haphazard collection of those already caused the need of putting some species in endangered list. Again, the lack of transfer of knowledge to the younger generation, caused knowledge gap on the uses of those herbs. Though people collect the herbs to sell them, they do not know how useful for them also are not involved in processing. So in this regard, NIDS has been involving in the awareness raising about the importance, conservation and processing of the NTFP and biodiversity in Humla as well as some technical backstoppings.
3. Institutional strengthening of civil societies
The objective of HDI is to work in the district for a longer period to make positive impact in the development process. In the course of program implementation, HDI bring civil society together to involve in the mainstream development. It will also support in the institutional development of the civil society so that the group may take up the program implementation after HDI moves out from Humla. In this aspect, HDI plans to form VDC Group from each VDC involved and the representatives from each VDC will form a district unit of HDI.
4. Renewable energy and appropriate technology promotion
The district is potential in the use of renewable energy technologies like micro-hydro for electricity and solar for food processing. There are quite a number of water mills for grinding grains and they can also be improved for saving labor for agro-processing. Solar energy has been exploited for electrifying households only. NIDS has been planning to introduce the use of simple technology for drying food products and cooking food which can enhance the Humli peoples' livelihood and especially reduce the workload of women. Besides, the use of appropriate technology is realized important for saving labour in various agro-processing, like oil extraction from mustard, walnut and apricot seeds, thrashing and hulling or dehusking millets and buckwheat etc.
5. Dalit community development program
As the dalit communities in Humla are the most poorest and vulnerable section in Humla, NIDS has been facilitating for their livelihood upliftment through some development interventions. NIDS has also been further exploring the ways and strategies in this regard learning from other organizations' past experiences; as many of the development organizations supposed to uplift the dalits had not been succeed. Currently NIDS has been facilitating the dalits in Simkot VDC and surrounding for their livelihood upliftment through IGP programs: donkey keeping, cattle raising, small business, solar light repair and maintenance, saving groups and the like including education support for dalit children.
6. Environmental education
The continued exploitation of natural resources has resulted in the degradation of environment realized the need of conservation measures through local as well as district level. The importance of spreading the messages to the public is carried out by using wall magazine. The wall magazines are already produced by the group of students writing informative articles and poems. The wall magazines are produced every month and the writers of the selected articles will be awarded a token of appreciation. One group per village cluster has been formed in the HDI VDCs at the moment and planned to extend the knowledge to other extended VDCs.
7. VDC Planning
NIDS initiate VDC planning for the following year bringing information on the natural resources as well as financial/ human/ organizational resources. The planning will be an overall planning; the information could be used by any organization working in the VDC. The process will be continued annually so as to have positive result in the development process. The involvement of people from VDC and other organization in planning process will generate ownership on all the stakeholders. The learning from this process will later be used in district planning.
8. Research and policy advocacy
Research and documentation of important issues on Humla will be carried out as the district is having unique characteristics. Some of the issues are similar to other remote districts and should be considered during policy making for the development of such remote districts. As a part of policy advocacy, HDI started open discussion forum ‘Humla Kachahari' inviting people from different organizations, government, NGOs and interested individuals to discuss on some important issues.
1.Dalit Community Development/IGP program
The local organizations MSSN (Mahila Shanti Samaj Nepal ) and WWS (Women Welfare Society) were collaborated for implementing income generation activities for the Dalits of Simkot VDC.
2. Improvement of existing traditional water mills
Installation of improved water mill program has been launched in view of providing efficient services of the traditional water mills. It is a common site in Humla that a number of water mills are running in series in the hill streams. Initially one water mill was improved in Syanda by changing the wooden runner/turbine to metal runner. The efficiency of water mill has been doubled, measured in terms of time taken in grinding the measured amount of grains. Taking less time in grinding attract more people coming for grinding and this saves women's time in grinding at home or waiting in the ghatta (the water mill).An observation visit was conducted for information dissemination on the water mill in around the working area of Simkot and SyandaVDCs. The observation visit has enriched the knowledge on the participants and they show interest on improving their traditional water mills. The support available was sufficient for adding 7 more turbines this year and so altogether 11 water mills have been improved.To sustain the program though partly and as the activity generates income by improving the water mill, the beneficiaries were asked to repay the cost price of the metal runner and the transportation cost were subsidized. The Ghatta (mill) owners observation visit resulted in the formation of a Ghatta Owner Association comprised of 21 members from 9 VDCs.
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3.Conservation and promotion of biodiversity and NTFP
Aiming to generate knowledge on the importance of biodiversity conservation and conservation, non timber forest products (NTFP), a number of training programs have been organized for the farmers in Simkot and Syanda VDC. |
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4.Awareness on health and environment sanitation through wall magazines
Interested groups were formed to involve in generating awareness on environment and health sanitation. Students and other interested young members from Simkot as well as Syanda were invited for orientation training in which the participants were provided with general idea of writing poems, stories and s ome short articles on the pertinent issues like health, environment, biodiversity conservation, etc.The participants have been encouraged to discuss on the current problems in their areas on environment as well as health due to human behaviour. They were then encouraged to write articles, stories or poems which raise awareness on others so that they need to think their role in conservation. The hand written articles are pasted in a larger paper so as to make it easier to hang into the board. The board was then hung outside so that people walking pass by can easily read them. Since they are used to hang outside, the paper is kept in a box with net to be locked so that it can not to be damaged by other children or tear away easily. |  |
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5.Introduction of manual thrashing machine for agro processing
Most of the women are involved in agricultural as well as post harvest agro processing like harvesting, transporting, thrashing, winnowing and storing of harvest. All of these activities are very tedious and labour intensive. Keeping in view of saving some labour by the introduction of intermediate technologies, like that of thrasher and dehusker, with the technical assistance of National Agriculture Research Council (NARC). It is aimed to reduce women drudgery and so women could be involved in other activities . |
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6.Dalit education support Dalit children hesitate to go to school in Simkot as they can not afford for school uniforms. This was the statement mentioned by the parents and so they demanded HDI for the support of uniforms. HDI although not focusing directly on education but required to respond to the demand. The families were inquired; schools in Simkot were consulted for making the list of children and the number of children from the households to be supported. The uniforms were prepared by the local tailors. Altogether 110 children from 67 households were benefited from this |
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7.A conservation supporting book on NTFP and Biodiversity Conservation
An introductory student supporting book on the NTFP and Biodiversity Conservation was published to be used as an extra for the school children of class 7, 8 and 9. HDI team had a discussion with the school teachers as well as the selected persons from the NGOs about the planned activity and the curriculum. |
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8.Humla kachahari
Humla D evelopment Initiative (HDI) has been conducting the Open Discussion Forum on relevant issues on Humla in the name ‘HUMLA KACHAHARI' annually. The objective of conducting the Kachahari is to raise voice on the development of Humla and to lobby for policy changes. In every HUMLA KACHAHARI, a particular theme is considered to discuss on relevant issues, instead of keeping it too open. |  |
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9.Support for Syanda micro hydro plant People from Syanda VDC have been trying to electrify the village and had formed Janashakti Samuha, the ‘Peoples Power Group' nine years before in 1998. They have been mobilizing various organizations coordinated by USC Nepal or earlier USC Canada field office in Simkot. The group came for supporting the project from HDI as they were having difficulty in completing the project. The power plant was of capacity 26 kw aiming to supply electricity to all the four village clusters of Syanda benefiting altogether 240 households.The fund from HDI was provided to the Janashakti Samuha (People Power Group) which would help the Syada people with electricity, the children encouraged to stay up for study also its postive impact in the health of people as well as forest conservation since they used to light the core wood from Pine trees. |  |
10.Other IGP programs/Solar electrification repair maintenance
Household light from Solar system has been implemented for the poor families in Humla under Humla ma Ujjyalo or ‘Brightness in Humla'. The initiator of the program has mobilized to raise fund from individuals living in cities of up to Rs.5000 and receive subsidy from AEPC to install a set of solar lighting in the dalit households in Humla. The activity has taken up some momentum and installed quite a number of sets in the dalit households. The program implementers have not looked at the repair maintenance and some of the households have to live darkness due to problem in the sets as the users were not also given clear instructions. The idea is to train a person from the same community so that the person can generate some income by involving in the repair maintenance of the sets installed as well as the communties will be benefited the repaired solar lighting. Such training has been proved useful as the one from upper dalit cluster already had some income of about Rs.4-5000.
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11.Local crops promotion/Introduction of recipe improvement Sessions with the local people especially women and some men involved in the testing and making of the food made by using the local food with some additional ingredients. Though people are taking buckwheat or millet made into bread attempts have been made to make different types of food products of the same material to make different taste. By doing so people can consume the local food in different name and taste and with this the younger generation and people from outside will be encouraged. This is to encourage the use of local available foods rather than wait in line for imported rice |  |
Most of the women are involved in agricultural as well as post harvest agro processing like harvesting, transporting, thrashing, winnowing and storing of harvest. All of these activities are very tedious and labour intensive. Keeping in view of saving some labour by the introduction of intermediate technologies, like that of thrasher and dehusker, with the technical assistance of National Agriculture Research Council (NARC). It is aimed to reduce women drudgery and so women could be involved in other activities .
Most of the women are involved in agricultural as well as post harvest agro processing like harvesting, transporting, thrashing, winnowing and storing of harvest. All of these activities are very tedious and labour intensive. Keeping in view of saving some labour by the introduction of intermediate technologies, like that of thrasher and dehusker, with the technical assistance of National Agriculture Research Council (NARC). It is aimed to reduce women drudgery and so women could be involved in other activities .