http://www.icimod.org/
This is a photo of the Kathmandu Valley from the ICIMOD demonstration site.
They are an agriculture training and demonstration site for integrated farming on mountain areas. They test plants used for fruit, herbal essences, animal feed, and a range of applications. Often things that will generate an income while looking after the environment.
Some subject areas that they train farmers on may have a positive impact in the remote areas that I will be going to, Humla in the remote west of Nepal.
One of the problems is that there are not many sources of income in the area. Once source of income is firewood, which people use for heating and cooking, leading to the problem of deforestation in the mountainous areas.
An alternative that ICIMOD have worked on for some time, is the manufacture of charcoal bricks, using pine needles for the charcoal, or even weeds. They are quite light to carry, burn very effectively, and can be sold for income generation.
Some other areas they demonstrate and train is aquaculture, with an example raising rainbow trout.
One organisation is planning a training and demonstration facility in Nepal in Aquaponics, where they have a fish farm, using the fish waste (nutrient water) to grow plants, which then purify the water for the fish.
They teach animal husbandry, plants such as kiwi fruits that are a high value crop, bee keeping, water storage and alternative energy such as pico hydro generation.
Check out the website, as it seems to demonstrate what development is all about. Addressing the key needs of the people such as education on income generation, in a sustainable way.
Primarily from the community itself.
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