Nepal: Community participation
Farming Matters | September 2015, Locally rooted: Ideas and initiatives from the field, can read on page no 28 - Nepal: Community participation
The community of Rajha village in Gulmi district has incrementally improved water management with a combination of technology and good governance. They were oscillating from times of water excess in summer to scarcity for up to eight months each year. Limited drinking water prompted initial action in 2007 when a few community members started harvesting rainwater from their roofs. Next the community took steps to improve their livelihoods and water remained their focus.
In 2009, 35 people started the Nava Durga Agricultural Cooperative. With some financial support they built a 600,000 litre rainwater storage tank, enabling 34 members of the newly formed ‘water users group’ to grow vegetables during the dry season and some to rear cattle. This success inspired an ambitious new project. The water users group almost doubled and the cooperative moved to set up the Pakhu Khola Dharapani Lift Irrigation Project.
A focus on equitable distribution of water has allowed 70 % of the village households to increase crop production and diversity and village out-migration has reduced. The community’s success started with inclusive participation and leadership – women are well represented in decision-making positions. The formation of cooperative governance structures also enabled them to build a network with public and private institutions that supported their work. And lastly, owing to the bottom-up nature of the irrigation project, it fit holistically into the community’s own vision of development.
For more information contact Ganesh Dhakal (gk.dhakal@gmail.com) or Chiranjibi Rijal (csrijal@gmail.com).
