This is an open access article under the terms of the Creat ive Commo ns Attri bution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Biomass plays a vital role in the energy supply of many developing countries. It is the major energy source for the rural population of Nepal, where 70 % of the total energy is derived from woody plant biomass in the form of fuelwood. The main aim of this study is to describe the fuelwood consumption pattern and the role of community forests and trees on private farmland in biomass supply to rural households in Nepal. The study investigates whether demography and socioeconomic attributes of households affect fuelwood consumption. A household survey was conducted, along with measurements of fuelwood mass for six community forest user groups in Dolakha district of Nepal. Average daily household fuelwood consumption was estimated to be 8.4 kg, giving a mean annual consumption of 3060 kg per household. Per capita fuelwood consumption per day was found to be 1.7 kg. Total fuelwood consumption of households is significantly correlated with household size, ownership of cultivated irrigated terraces and number of livestock per household, and negatively significantly correlated with ownership of cultivated rain-fed terraces. Fuelwood consumption varies significantly between seasons. Among various sources of biomass energy, fuelwood from community forests contributes 23 % and trees on private farmland contribute 12 %. The rest is provided from other biomass sources, including the remains of fodder collected from private farmland vegetation, wood previously used for fences and trellises in private farmland, crop residues, and purchased fuelwood.

No abstract

No abstract

Chepang, inhabiting the rugged terrain of Mahabharat and Churia range in central Nepal, is a group of indigenous people suffering from severe food insecurity. Their ancestors lived a semi-nomadic life up to one and half century back. To a large extent, Chepang still continue their traditional way of living, which includes collection of wild tubers ('kandamul'), hunting and fishing. Chepangs are especially connected with the tubers of Dioscorea spp. Wild and cultivated species of Dioscorea are being used as sources of carbohydrates to supplement cereal food. However, dependency on such wild food is decreasing with adoption of agriculture. In this study we documented local knowledge on the diversity and use of Dioscorea species among Chepang in Dhusa and Jogimara Village Development Committees in Dhading district. Ethnobotanical data were collected through semi-structured interviews, forest transect walk and participatory observations. Out of 13 species of Dioscorea reported from all over Nepal, 10 species have been recorded from the study area. Chepang people use one species (Dioscorea deltoidea) as detergent and the rest nine species are exclusively used as food although many of them have multiple utilities. Chepang people have diverse knowledge in the identification, processing and consumption of wild tubers of Dioscorea spp. and such knowledge might have developed as a strategy to combat severe food scarcity. Use of disproportionately higher number of Dioscorea species by a single ethnic group and within a comparatively small territory indicates very close affinity of local cultural practice and the nature. The richness of knowledge associated with wild tubers and high dependency of Chepang on them is the manifestation of severe food insecurity and traditional mode of life due to their social and economic isolation for long time.