Entrepreneurship Development of Forest Dependent Youth for Biodiversity Conservation and Livelihood Improvement

Start date: 
June, 2015
End date: 
April, 2016
Beneficiaries: 
60households
Project District : 
Nawalparasi and Chitwan District
Client: 
WWF-Nepal/Hario Ban Program
Type of project: 
Introduction: 

 The project aims to improve livelihood status of the youth along with biodiversity conservation through initiating forest, agriculture and skill based enterprise options that are appropriate to local resource base, traditional skills and climatic variation. In this regard, project itself brings positive changes in various aspects through improving and maintaining existing ecosystem instead inducing negative environmental and social consequences. Most of the designed activities promote efficiency in sustainable natural resource utilization through improving economic conditions of youth involved in biodiversity conservation. Thus, it would be beneficial for resource management, fighting against appropriation and develop social harmony due to the course taken by the project to achieve desired outputs. 

Fri-PAD Intervention

The project has been properly initiated from a series of meetings, interaction and orientation with concerned stakeholders and the target user committees in different locations of Chitwan and Nawalparasi districts. The concerned user committees were individually met and select the trained and interested youths for the proposed training package of project namely “Entrepreneurship development of forest dependent youth for biodiversity conservation and livelihood improvement”. During the tenure of project implementation for the entire 9 months duration, total of 60 youths were trained on SIYB and also linked them with local financial institutions for micro-credit proceeding in their corresponding area. During the project period 53 (88%) trainees were also enabled to register their micro-enterprises in various government authorities like municipalities, district cottage and small industries of concerned district. Finally, some of the basic goods, equipments and materials including record keeping ledgers were also supported to those who registered their business. 
The development goal of the project is to promote entrepreneurship skills among youth involved as anti-poaching unit and citizen scientists to improve their livelihoods and ensure sustainable biodiversity conservation through skill based enterprise among rural youths. As skill development training for youth has already been given through Hariyo Ban Program, sothis project also aims to enhance entrepreneurship skills of those trained youths having skill in plumbing, electrical wiring, tailoring, embroidering, livestock keeping, vegetable farming, cooking and so on.   

Key achievements: 
  • Meeting with district line agencies at Chitwan and Nawalparasi districts;

  • Meeting with community forestry user committees and Community based anti poaching units in Kerunga, Patahani, Pithauli and Nandabhauju;

  • Application collection from interested youths of corresponding user committees

  • Resource person mobilization for start and improve your business (SIYB) training from Industrial Enterprise Development Institute (IEDI) and National Entrepreneurship Development Center (NEDC); 

  • Preparation of training manual and handouts;

  • Training to 60 Forest Dependent Youths in two slots one in Chitwan and one in Nawalparasi

  • Exposure visit to trainees to cottage and small business sites  

  • Linkage with financial institution and orientation to the youths trained in SIYB

  • Support for enterprise registration 54 small business in corresponding Municipalities and VDCs

  • Sector-wise micro enterprises registration facilitation;

  • Basic tools support to entrepreneurs to initiate business by the forest dependent youths;

  • Sector-wise tools and equipment support for micro enterprises promotion;

  • Documentation of Success Stories of 10 selected entrepreneurs;

  • Diverting the youths primary livelihood opportunities from forest resources to the established small business promoted by the project;