The project aims at improving market information access in Nepal so that local collectors and traders get fair and equitable benefits from the trade of these products; balancing supply and demand by creating favorable links between producers and markets; and documenting price fluctuations.

The project collects, analyzes and provides up-to-date, high quality price information of Nepal’s NTFPs which is provided to the collectors, village traders, and community Forest User Groups (FUGs) throughout the country, through direct communication, relevant development projects, and mass media such as radio and newspapers on monthly basis.

Services : The MIS has been providing services to the clients on following matters:

The main users or clients of central level MIS are : Individual collectors, FUGs, Processors, Village traders, Other local traders, FECOFUN, CBOS/NGOs, International organizations, National traders, Manufacturers, International traders.

The organization and individuals from NGOs, INGOs, GOs, trade association could also use the information and help direct participants in NTFP business. This MIS targets to optimize the profit margins of collectors, FUG, local traders, and processors with the assistant of secondary users of market information.

Major Accomplishment: An annual workshop of MIS was organized on December 18, 2001 to review the progress made over the period of last one-year and solicit feed back/suggestions from the participants on how to go ahead in future to make this system more useful, efficient, user-friendly and interactive. Thirty-two participants from various organizations representing

GOs, NGOs, INGOs, bilateral agencies, journalists, NTFP traders and manufacturers attended the workshop. During the workshop, the participants had shown deep interest not only on NTFP marketing but on technology, resource management, equity and policy related issues. Representative from UKALI newsletter stated that MIS price and product related information published in their newsletter was one of the most popular items while doing readers survey. Representative from FECOFUN revealed that almost 40-50 persons ask about MIS related information after broadcasting NTFP price on Radio Nepal every month. Almost 90 % of the participants stated that MIS is very useful and has to be continued. Some of them suggested the points for further improvement expanding the area of coverage, clients, products, type of information, etc.

Major accomplishment of MIS in year one includes:

The Western Upland Development Program formulated by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), is to begin operating in four districts (Humla,

Jumla, Bajura and Bajhang) during the first phase. The proposed program area will eventually cover ten of the sixteen uplands (hills/mountains) districts in the Far and Mid Western Development Regions.

The leasehold land and NTFP production component of the proposed program is to support the transfer of lands on a lease basis to poor households, especially women-headed and land less households, to undertake leasehold forestry; increase production of fodder crops, with emphasis on the production of forage seeds as an income generating activity; and undertake NTFP production. The project aims to make 22,500 ha of marginal lands available to 1000 leasehold forestry user groups (LFUGs) over the period of 10 years. The amount of land per household in the high mountains would be approximately 2.0 ha and about 1.0 ha in the mid-hills . These lands would be available on lease for 40 years.

As part of the pre-implementation research, a pilot participatory action research activity has been identified to be implemented in the first phase districts (Humla, Jumla, Bajhang and Bajura). The pilot participatory action research activity would entail setting up experimental sites/demonstration plots and reporting of new and existing species.

A three-day Conservation Assessment and Management Plan (CAMP) workshop was held in Pokhara during Jan 18-20, 2001 in order to carry out a threat assessment of 51 medicinal plants species of Nepal and to prepare a priority list. Organized jointly by International Development Research Center (IDRC), HMG Ministry of Forests, Soil Conservation (MFSC) and the Medicinal Plants Specialist Group of IUCN-The World Conservation Union, the workshop made assessment and recommendations assigning taxa to new IUCN Red List Category of Threat. The new IUCN Red List categories include Extinct (EX); Extinct in the Wild (EW); Critically Endangered (CR); Endangered (EN); Vulnerable (VU); Near Threatened (NR); Data Deficient (DD); and Not Evaluated (NE). The workshop also made recommendations for research and management activities to contribute to the taxon's conservation.

Ban Udyam/New ERA under the Environment and Forest Enterprise Activity (EFEA) organized a national