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A sustainable programme to harvest seabuckthorn and create products for local
and international markets, thereby improving livelihoods and safeguarding traditional
knowledge of medicinal plants and the biodiversity of Nepal.
Seabuckthorn is a highly nutritious and versatile
berry, containing vitamins C, E, beta-carotene and
omega-3 fatty acids. Its berries produce nutrient rich
juice and oil, and the leaves can be used for tea and
traditional herbal remedies. Seabuckthorn plants are
also known for their vigorous root growth, helping to
mitigate problems of land degradation,
desertification and soil erosion.
A partnership involving an international foundation,
university research institutions, local communitybased
organizations, and practitioners of traditional
Tibetan medicine, is working with a hospital and
international businesses to build a sustainable
programme for the cultivation and sale of
seabuckthorn in domestic and international markets.
Three seabuckthorn nurseries were established in
2003, in cooperation with two community-based
cooperatives and a local Amchi clinic. The HimalAsia
Foundation provided the initial investment for the
nurseries as well as training in the sustainable
cultivation of the seabuckthorn plants.
Local women’s cooperatives have also been trained
to harvest and process wild seabuckthorn berries.
RECAST, a research centre at the Tribhuvan University
in Nepal, and the ITT Cologne are involved in the
development of specialized mobile pressing
machines, which would enable these local
cooperatives to extract seabuckthorn oil on site.
Nepal’s only hospital for reconstructive surgery has
recently joined the project, and will use the first
batches of oil for the treatment of patients with burns
and scars.
This partnership will develop a market in Nepal for
seabuckthorn products, and it is hoped that the
cooperatives will create small- and medium-sized
enterprises to meet the domestic demand.
International companies have shown considerable
interest in buying seabuckthorn products from the
local cooperatives, and the initiative will help broker
fair business relationships between such companies
and the local producers.
