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