Effectiveness of Cross-sectoral multi-stakeholder Platforms at National and District level: An integrated approach for successful Forest and Farm based Businesses

Policy Brief # 3 July 2016

Key messages Development of an enabling environment for the integration of functions of both District Forest Coordination Committee (DFCC) and District Agriculture Coordination Committee (DACC) can be achieved through multi-stakeholder cross-sectoral platforms which will:

Facilitate in the process of policy discussion, deliberation and recommendation among multiple sectors; andFacilitate the process of effective and integrated planning and implementation.

Private sector stakeholders that are working for the promotion of both forest and farm-based enterprises can be effectively integrated into multi-stakeholder cross-sectoral platforms and benefit directly as a result.

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Nepal is a primarily agrarian society where forestry is an integral part of agriculture and rural livelihoods, and where fuel wood is the principal source of rural energy (FAO 2009). Micro, cottage and small enterprises make up a significant proportion of forest enterprises, and are often the main source of employment related to the forest sector in Nepal and many other countries (Wagner, Grouwels and Schweitzer, 2011), and contribute significantly to poverty reduction (Mayers, 2006 and Macqueen, 2007a). They contribute by building local wealth, encouraging local entrepreneurship, enhancing social networks, promoting local stewardship of natural resources through increased cultural, social, financial and environmental accountability, and keeping indigenous knowledge, cultural values and traditions intact. The increasing market for forest products and services have made the forestry sector

an important contributor to the national economy, and in alleviating rural poverty (Dhungana and Bhattarai 2008). In rural villages, farmers are dependent on both agriculture and forest for their livelihoods. The nature of rural enterprises in Nepal is an integration of forest and farm sectors based on available local natural resources. However, government policy is yet to recognize and address this in an integrated manner, which is resulting in restricted opportunities for promotion of forest farm enterprise development.

At district levels, the government provides services through different local government offices such as District Forest Office (DFO), District Agriculture Development Office (DADO), District Livestock Service Office (DLSO) and District Cottage and Small Industry Office (DCSIO). Much of the planning and implementation at district and local

1. Background

2. VisionThe main vision for the platform is to provide a multi stakeholder cross-sectoral forum to enhance the development of forest and farm enterprises, along with addressing emerging issues and challenges for the growth and sustainability of these enterprises, including policy and institutional development support.Specifically, the goals of the platform are to:

Address emerging issues and challenges which hinder the growth and sustainability of forests and farm enterprises, including policy and institutional issues;

Build the capacity of producer organizations and enterprises on sustainable management and utilization of the natural resources;

Promote public, private and community partnership in forests and farm related enterprises; and

Strengthen communication, collaboration and coordination among stakeholders.

level lacks coordination between and among these offices, resulting ineffective service delivery to the producers and entrepreneurs. Two forums are currently functional at district levels which are; District Forest Coordination Committee (DFCC) and District Agricultural Coordination Committee (DACC) which provide platform for regular discussions and deliberations on issues relating to forest and farm sector development. However, these committees have separate meetings for the same purpose: promotion of initiatives related to the agricultural and forest based business and enterprises.

In this context, the FFF Programme initiated and supports Cross-sectoral Multi-stakeholder Platforms which have been initiated at both central and district levels. The platform was designed to allow multi-sectoral actors to interact effectively in order to improve coordination and collaboration, especially in policy and programme formulation and implementation of the programmes and activities. The Cross-sectoral Platform has demonstrated the benefits of regular meetings and interactions among actors representing multiple sectors including private

sectors and civil societies to discuss and deliberate on common issues, and gain understanding to effectively plan and promote forest farm enterprises. The Cross-sectoral Platforms are currently functional both at the central level, and at district level in Kavrepalanchok, Nawalparasi and Makawanpur districts and have demonstrated huge potential in planning and implementing multi-sectoral projects, ensuring synergies and complementarity.

The platforms aim to address the following areas:

Promotion of small scale production and small enterprises;

Enhancing partnership, collaboration and communication among the public, private and community institutions;

Finding solutions to challenges related to production, transport, marketing and finance, which hinder the growth and sustainability of small enterprises and support the linkage to their respective value chains; Fostering an enabling policy environment.

National Cross-sectoral Platform The 21 member committee comprising of public, private and civil society institutions is formed under the leadership of the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation (MoFSC). The Joint Secretary of MoFSC is the ex-officio chairperson of the platform, whereas Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN), and Federation of Nepalese Cottage and Small Industries (FNCSI) act as convenor and co-convenor respectively.

Members of the National Cross-sectoral Platform

3. Composition

1. Joint Secretary, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Chair (Government)

2. Under Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture Development (MoAD) (Government)

3. Under Secretary, Ministry of Land Reform and Management (MoLRM) (Government)

4. Under Secretary, Ministry of Irrigation (MoI) (Government)

5. Under Secretary, Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development (MoFALD) (Government)

6. Under Secretary, Department of Forests (Government)

7. Under Secretary, Department of Agriculture (Government)

8. Under Secretary, Department of Livestock Services (Government)

9. Representative, National Cooperative Federation (Civil Society)

10. Representative, Forest Action (Civil Society)

11. Representative, Himalayan Grassroots Women’s Natural Resource Management Association (HIMAWANTI) (Civil Society)

12. Representative, Dalit Platform For Natural Resources, Nepal (DANAR Nepal) (Civil Society)

13. Representative, Association of Collaborative Forest Users Nepal (ACOFUN) (Civil Society)

14. Representative, Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) (Civil Society)

15. Representative, Agriculture Enterprise Centre (Private Sector)

16. Representative, Himalayan Bio-trade (Private Sector)

17. Representative, International Union for Conservation of Nature (Civil Society)

18. Representative, Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ) (Media)

19. Representative, Cottage and Small Scale Industry Development Board (Government)

20. Representative, Federation of Community Forest Users’ Nepal (FECOFUN), Convenor, (Civil Society)

21. Representative, Federation of Nepalese Cottage and Small Industries (FNCSI), Co-Convenor (Civil Society)

The main roles and responsibilities of members of these platforms are:

Discuss and take appropriate actions to address challenges and issues faced in the operation and management of forest and farm enterprises;

Develop and design programmes for building capacity of smallholders’ issues, including their access to business development and finance services;

Identify areas for policy revision or reformulation, especially in those areas that have hindered the growth and sustainability of enterprises;

Support for formulation of policies and programmes;

Strengthen communication, collaboration and coordination; and

Share lessons and best practices for further replication and sustainability.

District Cross-sectoral PlatformThe 13 member committee comprising of public, private and civil society related institutions are formed under the leadership of the District Development Committee (DDC). The Local Development Officer, LDO is the chairperson of the District Cross-sectoral platform, whereas district chapter of Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN) and Federation of Nepalese Cottage and Small Industries (FNCSI) act as convenor and co-convenor respectively.

Members of the District Cross-sectoral Platform1. Chairperson- Local Development Officer, DDC

2. Member- District Forest Officer, DFO

3. Member- District Agriculture Development Officer, DADO

4. Member- District Livestock Service Officer, DLSO

5. Member- District Cottage and Small Industry Officer, DCSIO

6. Member- District Women Development Officer, DWCO

7. Member- Executive Officer, Municipality

8. Member- President, Federation of Nepal Cottage and Small Industry (District Chapter)

9. Member- President, Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (District Chapter)

10. Member- Representative, Civil Society

11. Member- Representative, National Micro Entrepreneurs Federation Nepal (District Chapter)

12. Member- Representative, Federation of Nepalese Journalist (District Chapter)

13. Member- Representative, District Chamber of Commerce and Industries

4. Technical Committee of Civil Society Consortium

Civil Society Consortium has been formed on the national level by their representatives working for similar causes. Members of this consortium are from civil society organizations working in the forest and farm sectors. The purposes of the technical committees are to build partnerships on Forest and Farm Producers organizations’ initiatives, strengthen coordination and communication, set agendas and prioritize issues for actions and lobby for policy reform. These technical meetings are set to organize before the cross-sectoral platform meeting, especially to discuss issues and agree on the agendas at the national level.

Working through the cross sectoral platform not only supports for addressing problems but also strengthen partnership

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In Nawalparasi district, some issues arose in the selling of forest enterprise products which could not be addressed by any one single group. The cross-sectoral platform was able to come together to begin to address these issues, dismantling some of the barriers which producers face when going to market. For example, at the India border, customs did not allow the selling of more than 50 kg of rope, hampering the group’s ability to seek economies of scale. While an individual business may not be able to address this problem, when discussed at the District Cross-sectoral Committee meetings, a plan of action was established and the first steps towards resolving these specific issues were taken.

Similarly, producers are often victims of the elements, mainly torrential rains which come during the monsoon season and the intense heat characteristic of the Terai during certain seasons. Through the office of the Village Development Committee, Rupauliya provided land to Srijana Babiyoa Rope Committee, so they were able to build low-cost structures. This allowed for rope construction to occur in a place where it would not be damaged by the rain, and the producers would be able to work despite the hot weather. Furthermore, upon the request made to the FFF programme, three more machines were brought to this area to scale up production.

For the Bandevi Community Forest User group in Rupauliya and the Bisasaya Commuinty Forest User Group in Sunwal, infrastructure development was aided through the supply of timber for building chicken coups. This allowed 20 group members, those most disadvantaged, to seek income earning opportunities

Overall, through the use of a multi-sectoral platform, producers are able to address both macro- and micro-scale problems, spanning everything from border issues to infrastructure limitations. While not all problems can always be solved, bringing many voices together to advocate on behalf of these Community Forest User Groups, progress can be made.

Cross-sectoral platform provides a forum for discussion on policy and implementation hurdles related to forests and farm related enterprises. Also it has been instrumental in building partnership and leveraging resources.

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The expected outcomes of the national as well as district Cross-sectoral Platform include:

Improve common understanding and address emerging issues and challenges of the forest and farm enterprises in collaborative way;

Influence policy and programmes at the national and district level for facilitating growth and sustainability of forest and farm enterprises;

Improve communication, coordination, and collaboration among the stakeholders;

Promote public, private and community partnerships and strengthen business linkages; and

Improve access to business development and financial services.

5. Expected Outcomes

6. Achievements

Since the formation of the Cross-sectoral Platform, three meetings at national level and four meetings at the district level have been conducted. Some of the achievements from these meetings are;

The district cross-sectoral platform has been instrumental in building partnership and leveraging resources:

DDC, DFO, DLSO, DADO and DCSIO have all committed technical and financial support to producer groups and small scale enterprises;

DDC/VDC is ready to provide matching grants to small holder producers;

Private sector, financial institutions (especially micro-credit institutions) and Cooperatives are ready to provide loans to producer groups without collateral.

The cross sectoral forum at both district and national level has been successful in strengthening communication, collaboration and coordination between multiple actors:

The cross-sectoral platform at district level has been successful in the effective communication and coordination among different actors and has developed action plans to support the producer groups and enterprises in their area, the formulated action plans are complimentary and synergetic and reflect the need of the producer groups.

Cross-sectoral mechanism has successfully provided a forum for discussion on policy and implementation hurdles related to forest and farm enterprises. It has also been successful in,

Raising awareness of stakeholders about enterprise related issues

Identifying information and knowledge gaps

The platform has especially been successful in providing policy feedback on the issue of determining the distance between forest-based enterprises and forest. The producer groups have been lobbying for guidelines to be more specific on the nature of enterprises which contributed in successfully revising this in Nepal Government’s Gazette in 2015.

Working through the cross sectoral platform not only supports for addressing problems but also strengthen partnershipThe cross sectoral forum at

both district and national level has been successful in strengthening communication, collaboration and coordination between multiple actors

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This policy brief is part of ‘Forest and Farm Facility (FFF)’ Programme, which is a partnership between FAO, IIED and IUCN. In Nepal the FFF Programme is implemented jointly by

IUCN Nepal, FECOFUN and FNCSI, with support of FAO Nepal.

The objective of this publication is to explore the effectiveness of cross-sectoral platforms as a collaborative approach through an integrated forum for the promotion of forest and farm

based enterprises through the consultation of multi-stakeholder interaction and policy review.

For further information, please visit our website: www.fao.org/partnerships/forest-farm-facility

7. Challenges

The main challenge has been mainstreaming and strengthening of the cross-sectoral forums at national and district levels through integration of the platform in the government’s annual program and budget. This requires documentation and dissemination of outcomes and best practices for further replication, upscaling and sustainability.

Frequent changes in the leadership of government departments and ministries affect the effectiveness and efficiency of the cross-sectoral platforms.

8. Recommendations

The Cross-sectoral multi stakeholder Platform is an integrated approach to ensure effective coordination, collaboration and communication through discussion among relevant forest and farm stakeholders. There is an urgent need for governments to facilitate coordination by creating a policy environment that can enable success and sustainability of such platforms. The following recommendations will support effective and sustainable cross-sectoral platform while replicating it nationwide:

Mainstreaming and strengthening of the cross-sectoral multi-stakeholder platforms at different levels;

Encourage private sector to participate in the multi-stakeholder platforms;

Regular, well prepared meetings of each forum (at least twice a year) chaired by the District Development Committee at the district level;

Build effective communication and linkages between district and central forums to share issues, agendas and decisions.