An award-winning initiative in Nepal cultivates and markets the versatile seabuckthorn berry, protecting traditional Tibetan knowledge and creating livelihoods for local people
A number of Indian companies have recently begun commercially exploiting the varied uses of seabuckthorn, a deciduous shrub commonly found in the Himalayan region. However, a unique partnering for sustainable development between an internationally supported Himalayan non-government organisation, a group of traditional medical practitioners and a number of Tibetan cooperatives has come up with a cultivation programme for seabuckthorn in Nepal that creates local and international markets for the plant, promotes traditional knowledge and biodiversity and provides livelihoods for local people.
Seabuckthorn is a highly versatile plant with several uses, both commercial and local. The plant’s advanced root system binds the soil on fragile hill slopes. Indeed, a natural seabuckthorn forest can decrease monsoon-related topsoil loss by 30%.
Seabuckthorn berries are traditionally known for their medicinal properties as well as their high nutrition value. They contain vitamins C, E, beta-carotene and flavonoids, along with omega-3 fatty acids. They can be crushed and made into a delicious, healthy juice. Seabuckthorn berries also yield oils that are used in cosmetic preparations and for various skin conditions. The leaves of the plant are used in traditional medicines as well as for livestock fodder.
HimalAsia’s endeavour began in 2003 when the NGO, which is headquartered in West Germany, set up three nurseries to cultivate seabuckthorn in conjunction with two local community-based cooperatives -- the Ku Tsab TerNga Monastery Committee and the Lekshey Choeling Chunmay Lobta Nunnery School Committee -- and a local amchi (traditional doctor) family comprising Tsampa Dhukta Gurung and his two sons, all practitioners of the sowarigpa traditional healing form.
The project aims at establishing additional nurseries and seabuckthorn forests in the various communities of upper and southern Mustang in Nepal. The promotion of berry cultivation, and the processing and sale of seabuckthorn products, could generate a source of livelihood for local populations and also serve as a model to be replicated in other areas of Nepal.
Besides training local people in the extraction and preparation of juice from seabuckthorn berries, the partnership plans to develop a market in Nepal for seabuckthorn products, with local cooperatives eventually establishing small and medium-sized enterprises.
Ultimately, production by local cooperatives will develop a national market in which the highly nutritious berry juice can be sold to trekkers and the local population, the leaves used to make tea, and special traditional Tibetan remedies prepared in combination with other local medicinal herbs. Seabuckthorn pulp and seed oil left over from juice preparation can be used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes.
A number of international companies have evinced interest in buying seabuckthorn products from the local cooperatives. This joint initiative will help broker fair business relationships between such companies and local communities.
It is this success in promoting the Himalayan berry that has earned the HimalAsia Foundation the honour of being one of five inaugural winners of the SEED Awards, given by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).
The winners were selected from over 260 entries from 66 countries, representing 1,200 organisations. They were chosen for their potential to advance sustainable development in their communities and contribute to the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal.
HimalAsia and other winners of the SEED Awards are living proof that through partnerships between communities, NGOs, businesses and public authorities, novel solutions for achieving sustainable development and livelihoods can be arrived at.
Infochange News & Features, April 2005