Landscape Journey of Municipal Authorities and Stakeholders

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Landscape Journey of Municipal Authorities and Stakeholders

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CEAPRED/HI-REAP organized a landscape journey focusing on the Community Learning Centre (CLC) at Bheriganga-11, Sadikhola, Surkhet on 17 Jan 2025. The event brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including Mayors from Bheriganga, Dullu, Sharada, Baghchaur, and Haleshi Tuwachung municipalities; chairpersons from Barahatal, Naumule, and Bhagawatimai Rural Municipalities (RMs); vice chairpersons from Bhairabi and Gosaikunda RMs; and chief and technicians from relevant agricultural units. High-level officials, such as the Acting Secretary of MOLMAC Karnali, the Director of the Directorate of Agriculture Development, chief and representatives from Integrated Agriculture Lab, officer from Agriculture and Livestock Business Promotion Training Centre, and coordinator from Graduate School of Agriculture and Forestry at Mid-West University, also participated. Presence of Executive Director of CEAPRED, finance manager of CEAPRED and HI-REAP team and the team from the ICIMOD further enriched the event with their presence.

The journey aimed to showcase the collaboration with MOLMAC Karnali in establishing GESI-responsive, nature-based CLCs across districts to promote Climate-Resilient Agriculture (CRA) practices. The event sought to familiarize municipal leaders with sustainable practices for replication in their respective regions. The program began with remarks from CEAPRED’s Executive Director, Mr. Jay Mukund Khanal, and Dr. Kamal Aryal from ICIMOD, emphasizing agro-ecological solutions and thanking MOLMAC for allocating resources to establish CLCs across Karnali. They urged local authorities to adopt and integrate these sustainable solutions. The journey began with Project Coordinator Mr. Shankar Neupane presenting an overview of the project and event's objectives.

Participants visited the CLC, where farmers shared their experiences with chemical-free farming, including practices such as Jholmal, vermi-compost, bio-pesticides, and innovative pest management strategies. While these practices reduced production costs and improved food quality, farmers noted challenges in maintaining competitive pricing for their produce and sought support to address this issue.

The event received positive feedback from stakeholders. Mayors and technical experts lauded the initiative’s impact on promoting sustainable agriculture and pledged to replicate the practices in their regions. MOLMAC highlighted its commitment by allocating budgets to establish 10 CLCs in Karnali and collaborating with CEAPRED to expand CRA practices.

The program concluded with a call to action for agricultural units to develop action plans for promoting gender-friendly, nature-based solutions. Stakeholders expressed optimism about scaling these impactful initiatives and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting sustainable development across municipalities.