ICIMOD’s Work on Sustainable Livelihoods and Poverty Reduction

1. ICIMOD’s Work on Sustainable Livelihoods and Poverty Reduction Michael Kollmair, Programme Manager SLPR

2. What makes the ‘Third Pole’ unique?

3. 210 Million People 60% ‘Poor’

4. Understanding Mountain Poverty

5. Vulnerability and Adaptation Conceptual framework of vulnerability assessment Con Climate change and variability Non-climatic factors Adaptation Vulnerability = Exposure + Sensitivity – Adaptive Capacity Exposure Sensitivity Adaptive capacity Impacts (of climate change and other factors) Climate Change is an additional stress factor intensifying others Vulnerability (to climate and other factors) Adapted from Fuessel & Klein Functional relationship (A partly determines B) Perception and interpretation of human action Physical cause-effect relationship Effect of human action

6. 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)

7. 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

8. Sustainable Livelihoods and Poverty Reduction Programme “Reducing vulnerability, improving adaptive capacity and enhancing resilience” Division Gender and Governance (GGD) Action Area High Value Products and Value Chains (HVP/VC) Action Area Innovative Livelihood Options (ILOp) Division Economic Analysis (EAD)

9. Innovative Livelihood Options • Promotion of innovative livelihood practices and approaches through regional exchange • Exploring the opportunities of remittances and pro-poor tourism

10. Migration and Development Central driver for mountain development • Rural-Urban Migration (mnt-lowland) • Labour Migration(within region andbeyond)

11. Remittance Flow Mio. US$ World Bank, 2010

12. Feminisation of Mountain Livelihoods

13. Use of Remittances

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. Mountain Specific Value Chain Approach Accessibility, Fragility, Marginality, Diversity Generic Value Chain Approach Mountain Specifities Mountain Specifities Unique niche products and services

18. 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

19. Increasing Income of Poor Producers of Bay Leaves

20. ICIMOD Output Outcome Impact Impact Pathway Bay Leaf – Uttarakhand, India • 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 • Pro-poor mountain specific value chain methodology piloted • (leverage point ‘policy’ identified)

21. Thank you