How We work

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The Livelihoods and Forestry Programme (LFP) embraces the following key working approaches:

• Social mobilization 
• Inclusive targeting
• Local capacity building
• Inclusive decision-making, planning and monitoring 
• Multi-stakeholder partnerships  
• Micro-macro linkages
• Safe and effective development 
• Inclusive impact measuring

Social Mobilisation

Social mobilisation/animation is a key mechanism for LFP to reach and benefit the poorest and most excluded communities, groups and individuals. It focuses on training and mobilising local people to work directly with Forest User Groups (FUGs) in order to strengthen their capacity for resource management, livelihoods improvement, governance and social inclusion. More than 700 social mobilisers / facilitators  have been developed and mobilised to provide support to  FUGs before and after formation, and bring about lasting social change.

The social mobilisation programme and activities are guided by LFP's Pro-poor and Social Inclusion Strategy. In order to equip social mobilisers with the skills needed to work safely and effectively in the rural communities, LFP has developed an Animation Handbook and PPSI Manual. In addition, training and on-site coaching enhance the effectiveness of social mobilisers to work and benefit the poor and most excluded groups and individuals. See initiative paper Social Mobilisation through local community facilitators. See best practice papers Pro-poor and Social Inclusion and Animation and Social Mobilisation.

Inclusive targeting

LFP's 'inclusive targeting' approach balances the focus of activities specifically on poor and excluded groups with other activities that benefit the whole community. This particularly applies to many of the forest management activities that necessitate the understanding and participation of the whole community. Whilst working with the whole community, LFP ensures that a greater proportion of benefits from interventions reach poor and excluded members. Similarly, where specific focus is on poor and excluded households, it ensures that all members of the community are aware of why this focus is important, and how the identification of targeted households took place. This process is carefully managed so as not to increase tensions within communities, and is part of a longer-term strategy of raising awareness about the needs of poor and excluded households.

Though poverty and social exclusion is often correlated, this is not always so. LFP often encounters situations in a community where there are three distinct groups within the broader category of poor and excluded. These are poor and socially disadvantaged groups (e.g. poor Dalits or poor women-headed households), poor but socially advantaged groups (e.g. poor Brahmin or Chetri households) and non-poor but socially disadvantaged groups (e.g. non-poor women, Dalits and Janajati). All these groups require assistance in various ways but the priority for resource allocation and the types of interventions for each group may differ.

Local capacity building

LFP invests in developing and mobilising trained local people to work with rural communities. LFP has trained and mobilised more than 1,700 local people to work specifically as field level facilitators (as animators, facilitators, social mobilisers and local resource persons). They work to help user groups to improve internal governance, to ensure effective participation of poor and excluded groups and individuals, and to help FUGs establish links with other service providers and access goods and services. Local Resource Persons also help user groups to revise their constitutions and operational plans. These technical service providers are equipped with knowledge of LFP's Pro-Poor and Social Inclusion Strategy and the skills necessary to ensure that the revised documents are inclusive and address the needs and priorities of poor and excluded households.

Inclusive decision-making, planning, monitoring and evaluation

LFP emphasises the importance of participatory decision making in all aspects of Forest User Group activities. For decision-making to be equitable, every member needs to understand the situation and have the opportunity to be involved.

Planning begins with sub-groups of the FUG and involves poor and previously excluded people. FUG plans feed into joint planning workshops at VDC, range-post and district level. They contribute to regional and national forest sector plans. FUGs are becoming increasingly competent forest managers and are developing the tools and skills to ensure planning is a participatory process. They are learning to articulate the support they need to implement more ambitious forest and community development activities.  See initiative paper Bottom up planning in the forest sector.

Self monitoring and evaluation takes place in many Forest User Groups. Members participate in setting a vision, allocating resources and monitoring and evaluating progress based on the group's own criteria. This process ensures access to information and also strengthens the voice and influence of the poorest and most excluded members. The outcomes aid planning, prioritisation and achievement of results. The process improves governance because it ensures participation of people regardless of their power and social standing, it increases transparency of the programmes, policies and finances, and it amplifies the development results. See initiative paper Self monitoring and evaluation.

Multi-stakeholder partnerships 

LFP’s major strength is that it operates through partnerships on multiple levels - from policy level with the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation and Department of Forests to District Forest Offices and Village Development Committees. It works in close partnership with key partner organizations, both government and non-governmental, and engages with a range of wider stakeholders.

Community level development and strengthening of good practices: LFP works with FUGs for the improvement of internal management systems and encouraging social processes that are more equitable and gender sensitive.  LFP focuses on developing tools and methods locally that address the specific needs and priorities of the poor and the most excluded groups and then works on scaling-up good practices.

District level capacity development and network strengthening: LFP facilitates strengthening the capacity and collaboration of government and non-government partners for more effective and coordinated service provision at district level to the poor and most excluded groups. It supports the development and strengthening of networks and federations of FUGs and also interest groups within communities (such as Dalit networks, single women organisations and networks of non-timber forest product producers.) See initiative paper Forest User Group networks.

National level policy development and system strengthening: Centrally LFP works with other donors and the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation and Department of Forests on scaling-up effective programmes and approaches to promote pro-poor and inclusive forestry policies and practices at the national level and to formulate field responsive forest policies and strategies.

Micro-macro linkages

LFP’s multi-level operational presence ensures the hands-on experience gained in working with the poor and the most excluded is used to provide feedback and support for the development and implementation of policies. LFP emphasises the linking of action and policy, both that policy is grounded in field reality and that it leads of implementation of improved action. Policy is only of value when it actually improves people’s lives. LFP seeks balance in ensuring people’s priority needs are met in the short term whilst developing the long term capacity of rural communities, and also of government institutions to effectively serve them.

Safe and effective development

LFP was not designed with an insurgency in mind but was able to adjust to working in conflict and continuing uncertainty.  LFP’s approach was to put in place a long-term process of change: addressing attitudes and power structures within forest user groups; improving the capacity of service providers; and improving the enabling environment of institutions, policies and processes.

LFP developed a Safe and Effective Development in Conflict (SEDC) approach to its programmes. It adopted the Basic Operating Guidelines (English and Nepali ) for development and humanitarian assistance in Nepal, and enhanced the skills of its staff and partners in Basic Risk Management and SEDC. LFP began working more with local service providers and resource persons to reach remote areas. It gave emphasis to quick and visible impact activities that focused on the poor and excluded, and that began to draw them in to longer term engagement. See initiative paper Safe and effective development.

Inclusive Impact measuring

LFP monitors its activities in three major areas: progress, outputs and impacts. The programme has developed various tools and methodologies for ensuring that the monitoring is both participatory and exploratory.

Programme outputs are measured at the community or group level with a focus on their ability to improve livelihoods, manage forest (natural) resources and develop organisational governance. Social inclusion issues are considered across all of these three capacity-building areas. Programme impacts are monitored at the household-level on a sample basis that ensures representation of different wealth, gender, caste and ethnic groups.

LFP also broadly monitors its contribution through the Livelihoods and Social Inclusion (LSI) framework. This has a focus on three domains of change: assets and access to services; the rules of the game; and voice, influence and agency. The monitoring system also provides information required for the Poverty Reduction Strategy, DFID’s Country Assistance Plan and the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation of Nepal. LFP’s Logical Framework and Monitoring Strategy help guide the monitoring.

LFP’s monitoring systems help answer the following questions: How far does the programme address the needs of poor and excluded men and women? Are the social and economic situations of poor and excluded groups improving? Is there more equality and less gender and caste discrimination in the management, utilisation, and distribution of common property and forest resources? How are the institutional structures and processes of poor and excluded groups changing? Are the poor and excluded less vulnerable? Which activities have had the most positive impact?

LFP conducted a livelihood baseline study to capture both qualitative and quantitative livelihoods information (Hills Baseline Study Report 2003) and carried out an economic survey against that baseline in 2008 (Economic Impact report). It also conducted reassessment of forest resources within community forestry in 2008 against baselines of 1994 and 1998 (Forest Resource Assessment report).

LFP supports the strengthening of its partners’ monitoring systems at the national, regional and district levels. It works together with government partners (particularly the Ministry and its departments, the Regional Directorate of Forests, District Forest Offices and District Forest Coordination Committees) to define monitoring indicators, develop a monitoring system and conduct periodic field monitoring. It works to develop the capacity of NGO partners to carry out effective monitoring of their work. It encourages the establishment of Self Monitoring and Evaluation practices amongst Forest User Groups. See initiative paper Self monitoring and evaluation.