THE FIRST PRIORITY OBJECTIVE

The initial aim of the training project will be the establishment of one or two model refugee settlements in India, in which organic agriculture and sustainable forestry are seen jointly as part of the new approach to a healthy economy and life-style. This will involve setting up seed nurseries, the planting of new shelter and shade belts, and the use of appropriate nitrogen-fixing vegetable and tree species to restore soil fertility

As these model settlements develop, more and more will be trained until every settlement will be working to the same standard. These projects could well include rural Indian neighbours.


Instructors will be provided by the Forest Research Institute at Dehra Dun, with help from directly engaged Indians as well as volunteers from Canada.

These small courses will be short, simple and practical; at a level fit for ordinary farmers and their families (including children), and not for training PhDs! They can start soon, and extend in scope as more funds become available.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

1. Environmental sustainability will become a conscious subject amongst Tibetan refugees and their Indian neighbours.

2. Agriculture in the settlements and their neighbourhoods will steadily improve as under- standing of soil texture, structure and life grow, together with improved shade and wind protection of crops.

3. The trained ecoforesters will eventually form a dedicated group who can train others to become the base for a Tibetan Forestry Department in India, to manage the settlement woodlands as a whole, teach in the schools and tackle major re-forestation projects in barren or clearcut areas such as Rajasthan or Ladakh.

4. As woodlands improve, local value-added products (fodder, firewood, furniture, etc.) will provide further employment and income for the settlers and their neighbours

Read the full text from the Dalai Lama's Support Letter