This project is designed on the foundation of the successful community-based agro-forestry programme which EcoHimal started from 2014  in several regions of Nepal. These Agro-forestry Resource Centres (AFRCs) provide a community-driven institutionally and financially self-sustaining framework for sustainable mountain livelihoods by promoting climate-resilient layer cropping and jointly organized marketing of the produce. It is a tested concept for restoring mountain eco-systems.

The piloted model has been replicated in a further nine rural municipalities of five mountain districts in three provinces of Nepal, establishing 14 AFRCs as climate change adaptation hubs, and has been replicated in projects in Kyrgyzstan and Bhutan. Such crop-diverse multi-layer, regenerative farming is environmentally-friendly, effective for restoring mountain ecosystems and promoting farmer adaptability. Farmers are happy when migrant youths are returned back home and started their agriculture farm business with great success.

EVON Next: -  A national hub where farmer’s knowledge, skills and aspiration enhanced: A small school farm where agricultural skills, seed, seedling/sampling production is trained would be a great initiative to institutionalize the success concept of Community Led Agroforestry in a local level and beyond. EcoHimal has already initiated land acquisition to establish a training centre and a base for all of our AFRC, as knowledge, skills and production hub.