Regenerative Programs
Response from the Annapurna Collaborative
Annapurna Pluriversities, Abari, NRCT, and several other partners are evolving an Integrative Socio-ecological Regeneration (ISER) pathways and set of activities in the climatically fragile Annapurna/Gandaki Foodsheds/Watersheds. In order to transition from degeneration and eventual eco-systemic collapse to optimal regenerative potential of this ecologically significant region (the Third Pole), we seek support for pioneering work in/with 14 Municipalities. The long-term plan is to fine-tune, refine, and implement here, expand to the other four foodsheds/watersheds in Nepal and the rest of the Hindu-Kush Himalayas.
We are innovating and experimenting with an Integrated Socio-Ecological Regeneration (ISER) as a working model to be fine-tuned, revised, and made flexibly usable/implementable by and for different bio-geographies of the Hindu-Kush Himalayas.
Bamboo, Biomass and Biochar for the Fragile Himalayan Slopes
One of our unique design innovations is the optimal use of bamboo as a multipurpose resource of/for regeneration. Throughout the Annapurna/Gandaki bioregion, bamboo is a native grass. It reaches its full height in one growing season, at which time it can be harvested for pulp or allowed to grow to maturity over four to eight years. After being cut, bamboo re-sprouts and grows again. It can thrive on inhospitable degraded lands, restoring soil and storing carbon. ISER design incorporates bamboo plantation to serve pluri-purposes: sequester carbon, reduce floods and landslides, create a robust conservation economy, (including building earthquake-proof, bamboo houses), generating employment and livelihoods through bamboo based furniture, fiber/fabric, paper, biomass (charcoal, biochar, biofuels, included) and fodder for animals. As has been already evident in the work of key partner, Abari, just a grass, bamboo has the compressive strength of concrete and the tensile strength of steel. Thus, promise and potential of bamboo will be fully assessed and explored in each municipality and even at the Metro, bioregional and watershed scales.
Links: ABARI products and services:
Founder, Nripal Adhikary’s Presentation: “Crafting Bamboo-based Economy”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb30MtDHLKw
Nripal’s Interview:
https://www.tbd.community/en/a/rebuilding-communities-nepal-bamboo
Vision: “Crafting Bamboo Village of the Future”
Regenerating the Annapurna/Dhaulagiri/Gandaki Foodsheds/Watersheds
By Pramod Parajuli
The Need
The Hindu-Kush Himalayas (HKH) are urgently needing effective design interventions that create vibrant regenerative food economies, while simultaneously regenerating fragile ecosystems and creating agro-ecological livelihoods for their youth. As the Third Pole and the source of ten of Asia’s largest rivers, HKH is the world’s most important water tower. The health of HKH influences the global climatic forces as well as the livelihoods of some 2 billion people who live there and depend on it. We seek and offer a vernacular and an approach that is attuned to eco-systemic and bio-geographic changes amidst run-away climate disruptions because Himalayan ecosystems are young, dynamic, and tectonically active. As has been evident due to recurring earthquakes, floods, landslides, drying up of water (and stream) sources, and glacier melts, these fragile slopes are potentially erosive. All elements are aggravated by a more than average rise in temperature and changing precipitation patterns.
Regenerative Curriculum, 4th grade to youth and others
Another regenerative innovation is curricular. In order to discourage out-migration of youth and keep them in Nepal and within municipalities, ISER design introduces regenerative curriculum and will implement through learning gardens, water gardens, medicinal and forest gardens . Such gardens could be built within the school-walls and in communities and watersheds. Innovation in curriculum cover element of learning among: a) children and youth, both within K-12 and outside; b) the local leadership of rural and urban municipalities; c) govt and civil society professionals of the site specific municipalities; and d) core Annapurna Collaborative’s ISER team and the advisors.
Searching for Resources and Funds
In the immediate, the Annapurna Pluriversities Collaborative is looking for resources to support ISER team to engage with the 14 municipal leadership within this bioregion. Spending 5-7 days in each, we seek to: a) fine-tune, refine and create flexible ISER pathways that fit with the genius of place, and enable regenerative food economies; b) identify a regenerative curriculum design approach covering fourth grade and up and learning needs of MUN leadership; and c) prepare user-friendly, multi-media learning materials for all audience.
We seek to enable/empower municipalities because they are at the heart of hard-owned Nepalese democracy. How could they take proactive role in creating regenerative foodsystems while regenerating fragile ecosystems and creating agro-ecological livelihoods for their youth? Through our meaningful engagement with these municipalities, we seeks to:
1. Initiate and introduce the ideas and potential of ISER design among municipal leadership;
2. Co-generate site specific design, and pathways in 14 MUN for creating regenerative foodsystems while regenerating fragile ecosystems and creating agro-ecological livelihoods for their youth;
3. Identify and map learning needs of a variety of populations (serving 4th grades and up) and outline regenerative curriculum;
4. Identify and assess learning needs of/for municipal leadership to dream, design, and embark on regenerative enterprises and foodsystems;
5. Create fertile environment among municipal leadership for mutual learning, sharing and collaborating across the watersheds, foodsheds and bioregions;
6. Enrich the capacity of Annapurna Pluriversities’s ISER collaborative teams to revise, deepen and expand their work.