Community familiarisation

Familiarisation Programme for Dhungentar Villagers

In November 2016, ICIMOD organized a two-day familiarisation programme for Dhungentar villagers at Godavari Knowledge Park and Habitech Building Technology at Sankhu. Nine villagers (four men and five women) participated in the programme. The main objectives of the programme were as follows:

Observe, understand, and learn about different livelihood, water management, and farming activities at Godavari Knowledge Park;
Observe the demonstration of the production of interlocking compressed stabilised soil blocks (CSSB) and understand its importance in building earthquake-resilient shelters; and
Interact with community-led reconstruction groups of Sankhu.

The familiarisation programme allowed the participants to understand the reconstruction and development concept proposed for the Dhungentar settlement and identify the activities suitable for their area and way of life. More importantly, the programme served as an effective platform to initiate preliminary discussion around the concept of resilient mountain villages with the representatives from Dhungentar.

Participatory 3-D Modelling (P3DM)

Participatory 3-D modelling (P3DM) is an interactive mapping method used to obtain an overview of the geographical dimension of any mountain landscape. P3DM integrates local spatial knowledge with data to produce scaled, geo-referenced relief models. Pushpins, yarn, and paint are used to depict land use and cover and other details on the model.

To promote active community participation in project activities, a participatory 3-D model was built in the project office in Dhungentar in June 2016 with technical guidance from ICIMOD’s geospatial team and the active engagement of 11 local participants. This activity was particularly suited for Dhungentar as it allowed villagers to participate in the entire process of 3D model building before much of the project activities were launched, initiating community engagement in the new project.

Training sessions were conducted on map reading, P3DM’s objectives and past success stories, and the model-building process. Participants were divided into groups for specific tasks in the modelling process.

P3DM helps locals acquire a broader perspective regarding their area’s geography and thus enables them to better communicate their needs and manage their resources. The model can be used to assess the implementation of development activities and serves as an interactive medium for community participation, spatial learning, discussion, information exchange, and decision making.