KATHMANDU, 21 December 2008 (IRIN) - A decade of fighting between the Maoists and government forces, and several years of drought or excessive rains and landslides have left parts of Nepal with little infrastructure and food insecure.

  However, some communities in the remote central-western region are taking steps to improve things. With the support of the World Food Programme (WFP), The Mountain Institute (TMI) and local NGOs, they are rebuilding key infrastructural facilities to boost the local economy.   Mugu, Jumla and Dolpo are three districts with areas of food insecurity which engaged in such reconstruction and enterprise building in 2008, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).   Local residents held meetings in April 2008 with TMI and local NGO Dolpa Institute to make decisions on what needed to be rehabilitated or improved. Households were paid for their efforts with WFP food aid, an arrangement called "food for assets" (FFA).   For example, in Pina Village Development Committee (VDC - the equivalent of a sub-district), Mugu District, 12 projects were undertaken in two settlements. They included an irrigation scheme, a local mill for grinding rice and millet, the reconstruction of mule trails washed away in places by landslides, the building of small bridges, improvements to school compounds, the establishment of an income-generating herb nursery and several water-generated grain grinding mills.   Small in scale, big in benefit   While small in scale, the projects, such as the small stone mill in Bistabada village, are of immense benefit to the community.   Jagasila Kami, a village member, told IRIN: "It saves us time because, before, we had to go to another village to use a similar mill and give a percentage of our grain in payment." She said the enclosed mill provided protection from the elements and prevented the grain from being contaminated by dirt and stones.   At Karnali Secondary School, not far away, local official Amar Bahadur Malla explained how they were able to expand a school yard in front of the classrooms.   "Before construction of the new school grounds, it was really risky for kids. Some were even scared to come to school," he said. "The land was rough and elevated; 400 students had to stay in a single building… and when it rained we could not hold classes because of the flooding, with water flowing from the high ground into the classrooms."   Kiushlal Bitalu, the school management committee chairman, said: "The quality of education has improved because students now have a place to exercise… and for extra-curricula activities." Attendance, according to school officials, has increased 5-6 percent.   Of the dozen FFA projects in Pina, most of which were completed between June and August 2008, a total of 638 households (2,544 people) benefited, and about 100 metric tonnes (mt) of rice was provided to families, according to the World Food Programme.   New schemes to be completed in 2009   In a second phase of the FFA programme, WFP, TMI and local NGOs will expand their involvement to 37 villages across Mugu, Humla, Jumla, and Dolpa districts.   Thirteen new schemes have been approved for the next phase of implementation in Pina VDC in Mugu District, and are to be completed in June 2009. They are expected to include small-scale irrigation; vegetable (cash crop) farming; construction of walls and other physical assets to support the medicinal and aromatic herb nurseries;reconstruction, rehabilitation or construction of school buildings; and installation of water taps.   As with the previous phase, the planned activities should benefit some 2,500 people, with approximately 100mt of rice distributed to households.   Local project coordinator Gagan Shahi has particular praise for projects like the herb nursery, which is generating income. He also stresses the importance of upgrading trails, to improve market access and lure tourists. "But my hope is to one day create a community centre to sell local products produced in nearby communities and to build a guest house that would generate income which could flow back into more community improvement projects," Shahi told IRIN. bj/cb

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