Two decades of community forestry in Nepal: What have we learned?

Two decades of community forestry in Nepal: What have we learned?
3. HUMAN RESOURCE AND
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
“NSCFP began long term engagement in human resource development by supporting
local people (especially poor people), providing scholarships from class 1 to higher studies
(up to Bachelors level). This has contributed greatly to the development of local human
resources in the project area.”
Dil Bahadur Khatri, Forest Action
In stakeholder workshops reviewing project achievements, there was widespread
agreement on the signifi cant
contribution made by NSCFP
to human resource and
institutional development in the
project districts, although this
cannot be fully separated from
the general Swiss presence
and impact of other related
projects. Capacity building took
many forms - changing the
outlook, opportunities and lives
of many individuals as well as
infl uencing the development
of forestry institutions in
Nepal. The institutional impact
is considered fi rst, followed
by an outline of the different
types of scholarships and
training courses taken up by
Training enhancing human capacity at the village level
individuals.
Institutional development
In the fi rst two phases of NSCFP, human resource development efforts focused on
building an institutional orientation towards community forestry within the primary
partner, the Forest Department. Part of this training was technical in nature - ranging
from improved nursery management to forest inventories, and part specifi c to
community forestry legislation and practices. The general and most important
thrust, however, was a re-orientation to a participatory mindset, encouraging
community involvement in all aspects of forest planning and management.
Scholarships (see next section) for I.Sc, B.Sc and M.Sc courses in forestry, with
particular focus on social forestry were also offered to Forest Department Offi cers;
most such individuals became particularly community-orientated in their subsequent
work. One of them was the current Director General of the Department of Forests,
who was supported by NSCFP for his Masters degree in Australia.
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