Project Description

DEPROSC-Nepal was assigned as one of the NGOs to pilot Leasehold Forestry in Nepal. The primary objectives of the project were to raise the income level of people living below the poverty line and improve the condition of degraded forest land. DEPROSC-Nepal was engaged in social mobilization and in providing technical assistance during the process of handing over forest land on lease to the beneficiaries.

The main scope of DEPROSC-Nepal was to identify beneficiaries living below the poverty line, identify degraded forest land, obtain consensus from the community about the group member and the land, demarcate the land with the help of District Forest Office, prepare operational plans for the forest user groups, obtain the required recommendations from the VDCs, register the user groups in the Agriculture Development Bank (ADB) as Small Farmer’s Group, register the user groups in the District Forest Office as Forest User Groups, and facilitate the approval and handover process of the leased land.

Moreover, DEPROSC-Nepal was also assigned to coordinate and facilitate access to small loans from the ADB, establish nurseries, develop forest land as per the approved operational plans, and support the implementation of forest-based livelihood programmes.