About LI-BIRD

Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD) is a non-profit making, non-governmental organization established in 1995 in Pokhara, Nepal. LI-BIRD is registered with the District Administrative Office of Kaski (Regd. No. 217/025/053) and affiliated with the Social Welfare Council (Regd. No. 3394).

LI-BIRD is committed to capitalizing on local initiatives for sustainable management of renewable natural resources in order to improve the livelihoods of rural poor and marginalized farmers, especially women.

Through partnerships in development oriented research in agriculture and natural resources management, LI-BIRD has contributed to several innovate methodologies and approaches for participatory research and development. It has generated impacts that have enhanced the livelihoods of rural poor and marginalized farmers through appropriate technological, social and policy changes.

LI-BIRD has been a pioneer organization in strengthening participatory methodologies for research and development in agriculture, biodiversity conservation and sustainable natural resource management. LI-BIRD has played an instrumental role in institutionalizing these approaches in the national systems of Nepal.

LI-BIRD Vision

LI-BIRD aspires for a society in which people are healthy, food secure and live in peace with dignity. LI-BIRD will be a partner of choice and be recognized for our commitment to ending poverty.

LI-BIRD Core Values

Local Initiative: LI-BIRD values local knowledge and culture, local initiatives and participation of local communities and institutions in all aspects of its work.

Integrity: LI-BIRD acts consistently with its vision. It is honest, accountable and holds others accountable. LI-BIRD is transparent in what it does and says. It accepts responsibility for its collective and individual actions.

Biodiversity: LI-BIRD believes in conserving biodiversity as an asset for reducing poverty, enhancing livelihoods, aiding national economic development and maintaining ecosystem health for future generations.

Investment for future: LI-BIRD believes in investing in human and natural resources, which helps to protect the environment, and in institutions that secure and enhance the safety and prosperity of future generations.

Respect: LI-BIRD appreciates and respects qualities, capabilities, reputations, opinions and values of individuals, socially excluded groups, communities, donors, partners, staff and professionals.

Diversity: LI-BIRD values diversity in terms of people, ethnicity, culture, social norms, partners, donors and staff.

LI-BIRD Impact Goal

Contribute to reducing poverty and promoting social justice by empowering rural poor and marginalized smallholder farmers, especially women, who depend primarily on agriculture, biodiversity and natural resources for their livelihoods.

Li-BIRD Impact Group

Our impact group is rural poor and marginalized smallholder farmers, especially women, who depend primarily on agriculture, biodiversity and natural resources for their livelihoods. The lasting changes we can bring in their lives will determine the extent of our success.

Our actions in this strategy will focus on five sub-groups within our impact group. The unique needs of these sub-groups will determine the nature of actions we undertake with them.

• Farmers managing rich biodiversity and natural resources. These are custodian farmers that hold the knowledge and aptitude for biodiversity based production systems. They are key agents in local development that builds on the existing social, natural and human capital in the communities. Working with these farmers, we will demonstrate the synergies between community empowerment, conservation, and the use of local biodiversity.
• Farmers dependent on rain-fed and low external input agriculture. Special focus will be on landless, indigenous, dalit, minority and shifting cultivators who are increasingly vulnerable to food insecurity and climate change. Their challenge is to realize resilient and productive production systems with minimal reliance on external inputs.
• Farmers in highly food deficit areas of remote mid and far western hills and mountains. Due to remoteness and poor accessibility, these farmers have largely remained marginalized by development efforts. Our focus will be to strengthen the local basis for their food security.
• Farmers living in high production potential areas. These farmers live and work in the food basket of the nation and have a big contribution to the nation’s food security. Due to high production potential and access to markets, they tend to use modern varieties and intensive farming. Their challenge is to continue and improve nationally significant production while incurring minimal damage to the ecosystems around them.
• Farmers living in rural-urban interface areas. The farmers in the interface areas will be targeted for promoting production-consumption interlinks through appropriate value addition, fresh vegetables and other high value crop production and marketing, especially of local products.