© Helvetas
Nepal

Rehabilitating Agricultural Livelihoods Destroyed by the Earthquake

© Helvetas

The 2015 earthquake shook the foundation of rural livelihoods: agriculture. The Recovery of Agricultural Livelihoods (ReAL) Project focuses on supporting poor and vulnerable households to re — establish and improve their farming practices in the municipalities of Melamchi and Helambu.

  • Project Name
    Recovery of Agricultural Livelihoods Project
  • Project Phase
    2016 to 2018
  • Funding
    This project is a Swiss Solidarity mandate and also funded by donations.
  • Thematic focus
    Climate & Disaster Resilience

Returning fields to productivity

The ReAL project began in August 2016, and supports farmers to enhance their agricultural productivity and gain better market prices for their crops. Water mills, a widely used means of processing locally grown grains, have been renovated.  A newly built Agricultural Service Centre now offers farmers advice and inputs, backed by the services of cooperatives, agro-vets and agriculture technicians. 

35 small irrigation schemes renovated

Without a reliable water supply, at best one crop per year can be grown during the rainy season. Irrigation allows the possibility of two or even three crops per year. The earthquake and subsequent landslides destroyed many small, traditional irrigation schemes. Helvetas is working with the farmers reliant on these irrigation schemes to return them to working order. This is not only a matter of repairing the physical damage. Each repaired irrigation scheme is now managed by a User Group, headed by a representative committee of women and men who have been trained in maintenance techniques, and who oversee the equitable distribution of water.

© Helvetas
Rehabilitated irrigation scheme © Helvetas
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© Helvetas
Plastic tunnel demonstration © Helvetas
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© Helvetas
Construction of water mill © Helvetas
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25 water mills in working order

Grinding grain into flour is a time-consuming, gruelling task, generally conducted by women. Water mills are a traditional means of grinding grain that reduces this workload. In Melamchi and Helambu they are mainly privately owned; community members pay a small fee for their use. Helvetas has worked with the owners of destroyed water mills to restore them to working order – giving priority to mills owned by women. Of the 25 restored, 13 are registered in the name of women. A conditionality of support is that poor and disadvantaged community members can grind their grain for no or minimal cost.  Next to each mill, a toilet is built for use by those waiting to grind their grain.

View map and fact sheet of all 25 water mills rehabilitated after an earthquake 2015.

© Helvetas
«We were without hope after earthquake and thought we wouldn't be able to repair our irrigation scheme. But now things are much better, we are less worried about making repairs, and we can grow more in the same fields.»

Chanamati Karki, Thulo Kulo User Committee Member, Helambu

Agricultural extension services

Close to the small town of Melamchi, a new two storey agricultural service centre has been built. Here farmers can come if they require advice on what crop varieties to grow, what treatment to use to combat a particular pest or disease, or what crops are most demanded in the market. The advice they receive is backed by local government extension workers, eight cooperatives, and eight agrovets – local resource persons supplying advice and inputs. 
 

Humanitarian Response

In recent years there has been a global rise in disasters. Earthquakes, droughts, floods and cyclones turn years of development progress to dust overnight.
contact us

Recovery of Agricultural Livelihoods
Dhobighat
Lalitpur
GPO 688 Kathmandu
Nepal

Phone:+977 1 5527 726
Fax:+977 1 5531 107
E-Mail: climate.np@helvetas.org