ICIMOD Consultancy Project (2026)


Project Location: Lele, Godawari Municipality, Lalitpur, Nepal
Coordinates: 27.574676° N, 85.358490° E
Implemented by: Nepal Bioscience Research Laboratory Pvt. Ltd. (NBRL)
Technical Support to: ICIMOD, Lalitpur, Nepal

Nepal Bioscience Research Laboratory Pvt. Ltd. successfully completed the consultancy project “Ex-situ Management of Forest Residue through Composting” in Lele, Godawari Municipality, Lalitpur. The project was designed as a foundational study toward sustainable forest biomass management, wildfire risk reduction, soil restoration, and circular bioeconomy development.

The project focused on converting unmanaged forest residues such as broadleaf litter, pine needles, twigs, shrubs, and woody biomass into valuable bio-organic fertilizer through scientifically managed windrow composting. Field activities included stakeholder consultation, GIS-based site assessment, biomass resource assessment, soil sampling, microbial investigation, biomass shredding, compost pile establishment, temperature monitoring, and preliminary enterprise development planning.

A total of 12 composting piles were established, including treatment and control piles with different biomass compositions and microbial applications. Initial compost monitoring recorded thermophilic temperatures of 54°C to 60°C, indicating active microbial decomposition and successful composting initiation.

Our Impact

The project demonstrated that unmanaged forest biomass can be transformed from a wildfire hazard into a valuable agricultural resource. By promoting ex-situ composting, the initiative supports forest fire risk reduction, improved air quality, soil health restoration, organic agriculture, and local livelihood development.

The study also identified strong potential for a community-based forest biomass enterprise. Field assessment showed that one worker can collect approximately 45.5 kg of biomass per hour under steep terrain conditions. A five-worker collection team could mobilize around 524.16 tons of biomass annually, producing an estimated 183–262 tons of bio-organic fertilizer products per year.

Key Results

• Completed stakeholder consultation with ICIMOD, DFO, CFUGs, and local stakeholders.
• Conducted GIS-based site assessment and forest biomass resource mapping.
• Completed forest soil, biomass, compost, and microbial sample collection.
• Established 12 scientific windrow composting piles.
• Recorded active thermophilic composting temperatures of 54°C–60°C.
• Demonstrated hammer mill processing capacity of 1,000–1,500 kg biomass/day.
• Developed a preliminary circular bioeconomy and community enterprise model.
• Identified opportunities for microbial-enriched bio-organic fertilizer production.
• Created a scalable model for wildfire reduction, soil restoration, and green livelihood generation.

Long-Term Vision

This project provides a practical and science-based model for converting forest residues into climate-smart agricultural inputs. The findings will support future compost quality validation, microbial enrichment, product development, business planning, market assessment, and expansion to other Community Forest User Groups across Nepal.

From forest residue to soil restoration, climate resilience, and community enterprise.