Dabur Nepal, a subsidiary of Dabur India, and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) here, have entered into a five-year partnership to promote medicinal and aromatic plants from the Hindu Kush Himalayan region.
Experts from Dabur and ICIMOD will bring in their resources and experience to establish a herbal garden at ICIMOD Knowledge Park at Godavari, Kathmandu, according to a MoU signed by the two.
The garden will facilitate research and development and act as a learning centre with demonstrations, hands-on training, and information sharing.
Dabur Nepal will provide the initial establishment costs, technical assistance, planting materials, and maintenance and ICIMOD will provide the location. The technologies, approaches, and practices showcased in the garden will help students, researchers, government line agencies, universities, and industries working with herbal medicinal and aromatic plants.
With over 125 years experience in ayurvedic products, Dabur has pioneered the cultivation of medicinal plants as a regular agricultural practice in Nepal. Dabur Nepal is promoting the cultivation of critically-endangered species across 24 districts in Nepal and through 50 cooperatives to transform the livelihoods of farmers through herbal farming as an alternative source of income.
ICIMOD brings to the partnership its 30-hectare Knowledge Park, which attracts over 5,000 visitors a year. The Park is a repository for important biodiversity resources and a practical venue for testing sustainable technologies and farming practices and demonstrating them to farmers, researchers, students, and development practitioners.
Activities at the Park are carried out in the areas of renewable energy; water, vegetation, and soil management; livestock and aquaculture; income generation; biodiversity conservation; training; and community outreach.
