Crafting Bamboo Village of the Future

Madi Valley  is situated in the foothill of the Chure region and lies inside Chitwan National Park. Being at the back end of the Park, the area has not enjoyed any economic fruits of conservation. In fact, the region manifests the dark side of the conservation efforts. For years, in the name of 'conservation,' native people were and continue to be forced out of their ancestral lands. Their access to common resources are denied and even criminalized by the State. With their access to resources being curtailed, their traditional knowledge systems are becoming lost and their livelihoods further exacerbated. The traditional medicine men, shamans, weavers, foragers and musicians are now forced to work as unskilled laborers in industrial construction sites. Despite living in a vibrant Sal forest, they are not allowed to harvest them in order to make houses- they are  forced to live in makeshift  houses. While tourists enjoy scenic safari rides in the frontier of the famous national park, the indigenous people are struggling in the periphery. 

In 2010, tiny in area but ambitious in hope, ABARI conducted an experiment whereby it procured around 2 hectares of land in an area that was completely destroyed by the flood in order to demonstrate that the land can be completely rehabilitated through bamboo plantation. With its extensive root system, phenomenal growth rate, unparalleled strength and historical cultural association, bamboo was an ideal candidate for land restoration, biodiversity conservation and livelihood generation. Ten years later, the area has turned into a vibrant bamboo forest.  Hundreds of farmers have joined hands with ABARI to transform their degraded land into a productive one. It has created habitat for a plethora of birds. Moreover,  this pilot project has demonstrated that biodiversity conservation, sustainable production and livelihood can have a healthy intersection. 

Vision:

We envision a system where production is not extractive to nature and exploitative to people; rather a system where biodiversity and livelihood are in sync and not at odds.

 In order to achieve this we are creating bamboo-craft based ecosystem where we:

1. Restore an entire watershed of Madi Valley’s degraded river banks through plantation of bamboo and other local flora and fauna.

2. Collaborate with local ethnic groups so that their crafts intersects with contemporary designs in art and architecture.

3. Start a high end eco-tourism enterprise that is run by local ethnic groups whereby vernacular cuisine, landscape, forests, crafts are celebrated.

4. Start a bamboo nursery that preserves indigenous foods and medicines of Chepang and Tharu Community.

5. Start bamboo based enterprises like rooftop gardening, bamboo bicycles, furniture and other life-style products catering to urban areas.

6. Build a market linkages that is based on the principle of fair trade and equity. 

Land Restoration:

Land after bamboo plantation.

Chepangs:

Chepang are the indigenous Tibeto-Burman community inhabiting the ridges of Mahabharat mountain range of Central Nepal. Traditionally, they were believed to be nomadic. Land reforms and various government regulations have criminalised their nomadic lifestyles and forced them to be stationary. They are one of the poorest ethnic groups of the country who are living in marginal forest lands. Recently, they were forced out of their traditional homeland because the government recently declared part of their land as protected Chitwan National Park. 

Chepangs are egalitarian. They have very nuanced knowledge of forest plants including wild tubers, mushrooms, nuts and berries.They have very intricate bamboo weaving skills. They are animistic and shamanism is still part of their everyday life. Unfortunately, globalization and missionaries are demonizing them and trying them to be part of ‘normal’ civilization.

Chepangs are one of our closest collaborators. We have teamed up with 100 families who were forced out of their traditional homeland into a very limited government sanctioned land. Earlier they had vast areas of land now they are forced to live in less than a quarter of an acre land; which means they can not farm or forage and are forced to live as unskilled labor in construction sites. With no access to forest their knowledge of forest products, medicines and worldviews are in danger of dying.  

We are collaborating with them so we can help them build a decent settlement using local resources.

Women making bamboo strips for poly houses that will be used as roof top gardening in urban areas.