School of Ecology, Agriculture and Community Works (SEACOW)

School of Ecology, Agriculture and Community Works (SEACOW) is an undertaking of Centre for Agro-Ecology and Development (CAED), an NGO registered with District Administration in Kathmandu. (CAED is known by the name of its undertaking- SEACOW). It is operational since 1992 in the upper catchment of Lothar watershed – narrow valley called Kandrang in the juncture of Makwanpur, Dhading and Chitwan Districts. It expanded its working area to other Village Development Committees (VDCs)- Korak, Siddi, Shaktikhor and Kaule of Chitwan district in 1998 and Kangada of Makwanpur district in 2000. These areas are inhabited by an autochthonous indigenous group of people called Chepangs. Living in steep terrain, they are one of the most socially disadvantaged but clever group of people.

Objectives
 Help in making better use of the land with environmentally appropriate means and generate cash by managing marginal land and other common resources
 Help people to gain confidence as individuals as well as a group in claiming rights and asserting their identity

Approach
Its approach of work is dialogue and demonstration addressing community at household level. It seeks to adapt cultural forms of knowledge and communication systems. It conducts location specific need based training within CAED’s broad holistic rights based framework. It has a demonstration farm and works closely with a group of people called Kandrang Chepang Community (KCC) who were organised after few years of SEACOW’s work.

Broadly, its focus in Kandrang and other VDCs has been enhancing production and cash from marginal lands and forests. Its technical strategy is to help people to adopt more tree-based form of agriculture rather than crop-based in the steep slopes. People have planted a number of citrus and fodder trees, medicinal plants and establishing hedgerows in the slashed-and-burnt

slopes. Another part of the programme is enhancing self-awareness amongst Chepangs who in our view seriously suffer imposed historical inferiority. It has operated adult education programmes to help people to get connected with Nepal’s indigenous movements.

Major Activities
 Agro-forestry, Community Forestry
 Community and NTFP Enterprises Development
 Training and Non-formal Education
 Community Health
 Advocacy and Institutionalisation

Achievements
After 5 years of its work, SEACOW tried to quantify the changes occurred in Kandrang. Although the achievements can be considered almost invisible within the general limits of understanding poverty, changes taken place are significant. General productivity and self-awareness has increased. A Chepang co-op formed with the moral and technical support of SEACOW is supplying some of the non-timber forests products to buyers such as the Oxfam-Wereldwinkels and The Body Shop. While there is a direct bearing in the formation of KCC and Chepang co-operative (PCL), emergence of Nepal Chepang Association were visible symbols of achievement if we looked at the situation some 10 years ago. In a way, Kandrang and the Federation of the Nationalities have been linked.

Institutional achievements were equally important. The need for holistic approach based on rights has been proven that it is necessary and can be done. This means that productive and awareness activities have to go hand in hand. SEACOW has the experience and skills to work with minority and indigenous groups of people in the socio-economic margins.

Future Direction and Funding
Work in the past has paved the way for the future. A number of Chepang organisations have emerged from KCC to NCA. SEACOW seeks to work with them in two broader areas: work on the livelihood rights through/with NCA and work with/through other institutions particularly with KCC on productive aspects in larger Chepang areas.

A significant portion of credit goes to the two solidarity groups: EcoNepal in Belgium and Ecoschool in Holland. They were instrumental in ensuring a flow of money based on solidarity and trust that enabled us to be responsive to the socio-economic-ecological necessities of the area. The group continues to support. A part of fund was provided by Oxfam UK/I for four years. SNV-Nepal the Dutch Organisation also supported the NTFP activities for three years.We need little larger support to cover all the Chepang areas (population 50,000) in an area of 700-900 sq km of roadless rugged terrain. Chepang area is surrounded by major highways and is close to major commercial cities (Kathmandu, Narayanghat, Hetaunda). Fruits, dairy and herbs secure high potential in the longer term. Seacow feels the need to support with education and minor resources to put their biological resources in order while asserting their rights on social thoroughfare.