Manahari Development Institute (MDI Nepal) has won the ‘Ryutaro Hashimoto Asia Pacific Forum for Environment and Development (APFED) Award 2008’—a GOLD (1st) prize in recognition of the outstanding contribution in promoting environmental management and sustainable development. The award ceremony was held in the Asia Pacific Forum for Environment and Development (APFED) II Fourth Plenary Meeting on 25-26 July in Davao, Philippines.

The project entitled ‘Mitigation of the Effects of the Carbon dioxide and other Greenhouse Gases by Controlling Slash-and-Burn Farming’, is funded by UNDP/Global Environment Facility/Small Grants Programme. The project has supported Indigenous Chepang and Tamang Communities to rehabilitate the slash-and-burn (shifting cultivation) land by converting a slope and steep land into productive agro-forestry land.

The Ryutaro Hashimoto APFED Award was established by the Asia Pacific Forum for Environment and Development in memory of former Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto.  It consists of 1 gold prize of US$20,000 and 2 silver prizes of US$7,000 each and 5 incentive prizes of US$ 2,000 each. The winners of silver prizes were IPM CRSP of Bangladesh and GIKOKO of Indonesia.