No Longer Wild Food Utilization-Farm Based Agroforestry Production Alleviate Poverty: A Case Study of Ethnics of Raksirang Rural Municipality within Central Nepal

摘要

Agroforestry is typically a sustainable land-use system that maintains or increase the total yield by combining food crops with tree crops and/ or livestock on the same unit of land. Farm based agroforestry focus mainly on food production and associated with timber yield gives several benefits. This study examines that how farm-based agroforestry alleviate poverty among the marginalized ethnics of Kankada in Central Nepal. A total of 60 (9%) HHs of Chepang with farm practiced taken as purposive samples, primary data and various research methods have been applied to obtain the result. The result revealed that- prior to agroforestry, farmers do plantation in non-terraced land and produce maize (Zea mays) and millet (Pennisetum glaucum) which supported for 3-4 months. Rest of the month they cope through skipping meal, consuming wild Food-Cush Cush yam (Dioscorea deltoidea), and Air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera). Now with agroforestry a good production of banana (Musa paradisiacal), pineapple (Ananus comosus), broom grass (Thysanolaena maxima) and peach (Prunus persica), the situation has changed. Livestock has increased due to copious grass in the area. An average of $700-750 per annum earning from the sale of agroforestry, and additional $1000-1500 per annum earning from sale of livestock have been recorded. The study concluded that farm-based agroforestry is the only one mode of livelihood among the Chepang which can help to sustain the livelihood in sustainable manner. Still slash and burn practice that are ongoing which need to be replaced through plantation. Communities are requiring market for sale. Agroforestry model has been explained which underpin the importance of the agroforestry system in the area. According to Rai, Chepang lived a fully nomadic life, depending fully on forest resources for hunting and gathering. Nearly a century after Hodgson, a comprehensive study about Chepang, reported that though Chepang’s still practiced a good deal of hunting and gathering, agriculture formed the mainstay of their livelihoods, and they practiced khoriya. Chepang are the ancient settlers of the study area with 350 households recorded in the VDC. According to the Yearly book of CBS, the population of Chepang in Nepal total about 52,000 (0.23% of Nepal’s population) and are one of the less developed communities with only 13.9% being literate [5-7].