Restoration through Innovation: Our Nepal Agroforestry Journey so far

Imagine a landscape where flora, fauna, and the community work in harmony with each other and the climate. That’s our vision for our Himalayan agroforestry project, and six months in, the transformation is already underway.

To recap, the project will establish two model farms in strategically selected sites, Dhulikel and Sunkhani, creating climate-resilient land and sustainable communities. Our goal is to empower 300 smallholder farmers to transition to regenerative agroforestry systems, with over 500 trees planted upon project completion in August 2026 and an estimated carbon sequestration potential of 18,441 tons across ten years. The carbon sequestration estimate, provided by the reNature team, is based on literature reviews and their research database, identifying the number of crops planted, their biomass remains, and carbon fraction potential in 10 years. This methodology is also applied in our Wawee Valley and the Tribes & Natures Defenders projects, providing us with a clear environmental impact indicator.

Let’s dive into what’s happened so far.

A multi-layered approach

When it comes to planning a regenerative project, context is key, and Nepal’s unique climate and topography must be considered to develop a model that works with, not against, the land. While breathtaking, the terrain presents both environmental and socio-economic challenges, from relatively low soil organic matter and steep slopes to limited agroforestry knowledge and unpredictable markets. Addressing these challenges through a robust model farm design will be key to successful implementation. 

This colourful blueprint illustrates the strategic layers comprising an agroforestry system, detailing which species were chosen and why.

To tackle the mid-hill landscape and harsh regional climate, the model uses resilient, high-value crops like arabica coffee, macadamia nuts, and avocados. Crop diversity is also critical to mitigate the risk of volatile market prices.

Complementary species enhance plot sustainability in multiple ways, like cowpea and soybeans for nitrogen fixing and soil loosening, chilli and lemongrass for natural pest deterrents. Other crops, like marigolds, used for anti-inflammatory purposes as well as religious garlands during Tihar, a five-day Hindu festival, hold medicinal or cultural significance.

A regenerative approach also includes re-imagining the value chain. Here, our farmers are transforming the weeds from useless to useful by turning them into mulch, increasing water retention, and nutrient availability.

Constructive construction

Relatively low soil organic matter plus steep banks is a recipe for soil erosion and landslides during heavy rain (of which the region has plenty!). The ambitious design uses bioengineering to mitigate wet weather risks and improve water and soil management, but proving that no two sites are the same, Dhulikel and Sunkhani need different solutions. Vetiver and lemongrass have been planted to stabilise soil at Dhulikel, along with jute netting, bamboo structures, and stone pitching to guard the slopes and move water away from the land.

In contrast, Sunkhani’s terrain calls for a rainwater harvesting pond, capitalising on the monsoon season and negating the current need for hundreds of metres of piping to access irrigation

The farms will also use living fences – another innovative solution that embraces nature. By creating barriers from living plants, not only do the communities reduce dependency on man-made materials and remove maintenance costs, the fences also provide food and habitats for wildlife, contribute to soil health, and can provide new income streams from what they produce.

At Dhulikel, the spiny Timur tree has been planted to border the fields, protecting the crops while its citrusy, peppery spice offers additional income.

Community-led regeneration

This project is as much about plants as it is people. Equipping the community with the knowledge to sustain these farms and prepare for climate change underscores project success.

Using a train-the-trainer (TtT) approach, 50 lead farmers will attend practical sessions on sustainable land use techniques.  Through a TtT approach, we can build internal capacity that will drive widespread adoption, creating a ripple effect of positive change in the communities.

Farm managers and caretakers have been selected and trained for Dhulikel and Sunkhani respectively, and smallholder farmers have already received training across the two sites, with sessions focused on mulching, planting, pit-digging, and compost making. 

The projects are also piqueing interest from other local farmers in the community, who paid Dhulikel a visit to check what agroforestry is all about!

Boosting biodiversity

It’s not just below-ground organic matter that our projects support.  Check out the symphony of life we’re seeing (and hearing!) above ground, too.

We’re buzzing about Dhulikel’s resident bee colony, which will not only boost agricultural productivity but also broader ecosystem resilience.

The team also had a slithery encounter with this little guy, most likely a species of green pit viper. A reminder of the incredible (and sometimes unexpected!) wildlife that flourishes when ecosystems are restored.

What’s next?

Knowledge is power, and we are ramping up the learning with agroforestry training planned for up to 50 farmers, including a dedicated compost pit-making session.

With much of the understory planted, it’s crunch time to get the trees in the ground – a big step towards our 500-tree project goal!

Preparations are also underway for the construction of the much-needed rainwater harvesting pond at Sunkhani.

This is just the beginning. Stay tuned for our next update from these majestic mountains!