icimod’s work on sustainable livelihoods and poverty reduction

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

Kathmandu, Nepal

ICIMOD’s Work on Sustainable Livelihoods and Poverty Reduction

Michael Kollmair, Programme Manager SLPR

What makes the ‘Third Pole’ unique?

•

210 Million People

60% ‘Poor’

Understanding Mountain Poverty

Vulnerability and Adaptation

Conceptual framework of vulnerability assessment

ConNon-climatic factors

Exposure

Impacts (of climate change and other factors)

Vulnerability (to climate and other factors)

Sensitivity

Adaptation

Adaptive capacity

Climate change and variability

Physical cause-effect relationship

Effect of human action

Perception and interpretation of human action

Functional relationship(A partly determines B)

Adapted from Fuessel & Klein

Vulnerability = Exposure + Sensitivity – Adaptive Capacity

Climate Change is an additional stress factor intensifying others

Adaptation in the Mountain Context

• Mountain people are experienced in adaptation

• Local/autonomous adaptation is

is central

• Understand to support local adaptation with planned adaptation

NCVST 2009 (ISET)

ICIMOD’s Mission

To enable and facilitate equitable and sustainable well-being of the mountain people of the Hindu-Kush Himalaya by supporting sustainable mountain development through active regional cooperation

Sustainable Livelihoods and Poverty Reduction Programme

Action Area

High Value Products and Value Chains

(HVP/VC)

Action Area

Innovative Livelihood

Options(ILOp)

Division

Economic Analysis

(EAD)

Division

Gender and Governance

(GGD)

“Reducing vulnerability, improving adaptive capacity and enhancing resilience”

Innovative Livelihood Options

• Promotion of innovative livelihood practices and approaches through regional exchange

• Exploring the opportunities of remittances and pro-poor tourism

Migration and Development

Central driver for mountain development

• Rural-Urban Migration (mnt-lowland)

• Labour Migration(within region andbeyond)

Remittance Flow

World Bank, 2010

Mio. US$

Feminisation of Mountain Livelihoods

Use of Remittances

High Value Products

• Promoting the development of mountain high value niche products (e.g. Non-Timber Forest Products, medicinal, aromatic plants, beekeeping) and increasing their value for mountain people

High Value Products

Comparative Advantages:

• Highly diverse resource base in the mountains

• Traditional knowledge is available

• Less competition with plain areas

• High demand for products in emerging markets

Mountain Specific Value Chain Approach

Key Features: Addressing mountain specifities

• Long value chains (often transboundary)

• Many traders, middlemen

• High diversity, but small quantities of products

• Inadequate infrastructure and policies

Mountain Specific Value Chain Approach

Mountain S

pecifitiesM

ount

ain

Spe

cifit

ies

Generic Value Chain Approach

Accessibility, Fragility, Marginality, Diversity

Unique niche products and services

ICIMOD’s regional VC pilots

• 6 own VC pilots, close to 20 partners

• Almost all HKH covered

• From agriculture, NTFP to service sector

• Focus cross-border VCs and comparison same product but from different RMC

Increasing Income of Poor Producers of Bay Leaves

Impact Pathway Bay Leaf – Uttarakhand, India

• Pro-poor mountain specific value chain methodology piloted

• (leverage point ‘policy’ identified)

• Pilot model for NTFP policy readjustment

• Co-management favoured by NFTP policy makers

• Collection permits for Bay Leaves issued

• Rotational mandis (markets) established

• Improved marketing and payment system benefit the poor producers

• Increased and secured income for collectors

• Sustainable harvesting from wild

• Government investment in up-scaling to other NTFPs

ICIMOD Output Outcome Impact

Thank you