Tourism is a vital industry in Nepal. Many tourists come here to go for trekking in the Himalayas, and few stay for long in Kathmandu Valley. Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park is situated on the northern fringe of Kathmandu valley and is the ninth large national park in Nepal and named after Shivapuri Peak of 2,732 m (8,963 ft) altitude. It lies about 12 km away from the center of capital city. Having Shivapuri National Park on our door step of kathmandu is a huge asset for us and something we must treasure and promote. By promoting the park and the trekking trails that fall within it, we can increase the number of tourists entering the area, thus increasing the chance for income for the National Parks and also the local communities living within. Tourism generated income is a vital part in sustaining and maintaining our National Parks.

Although people are not allowed to settle in the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park any longer, old communities have existed in and around there for many years, and every day they come into close  contact with the park’s wildlife and ecosystems. There is an urgent need to maintain this fragile environment by eliminating the cutting of trees, excessive use of pesticides, and addressing the problems related to waste and sanitation. Rather than simply banning them from continuing the behaviours that can be detrimental to the park, they should be helped to find alternative means of livelihood. As we see the local people should be provided with the resources to solve these problems themselves, and one way of achieving this could be empower them through sharing the benefits of tourism at a local level. Local people will not be motivated to solve these problems unless they can see the benefits for themselves.

On the other hand, we are facing a number of factors that are causing environmental degradation, air pollution, water pollution, deforestation and natural imbalance. One of the reasons behind this is the practice of inorganic farming in rural Nepal. Though chemical farming may increase productivity and income for the farmer, the use of chemicals and pesticides causes damage and infertility not only to soil, natural vegetation, native animals and water pollution; it also creates serious health problems to the farmers themselves, people within the communities and those who consume it.

The main drawback and lacking of organic farming is the commitment to make the change towards better environment practices. There may be multiple reasons, like increased income, lack of technology and knowledge that stop farmers from making the change, but the reasons to make the change to organic farming for a better environment should not be overlooked. We must remember that without a pristine natural environment, we would lose our number one marketing brand of tourism product, Nepal’s Natural Environment, the effect of which would be detrimental to the tourism industry and the livelihoods of thousands of Nepalese.

Of course a farmer will not embark on the changes needed to undertake organic farming if he is not supported and receives no profit from doing so. First and foremost, the man of the land must be able to make a sustainable living from his work. We understand ,the successes for change cannot be made by organic farming alone; it must come in combination with tourism as it provides the market for own consumption  and as such we work together to achieve the goal is essential to the success of organic farming.  This is where the local community, and more so the Hotel and tourism sectors can come in.

The switch will not initially be easy, but the benefits of organic farming are multiple through all levels of society and most importantly the move towards organic produce, farming methods and life styles is crucial to the future preservation of our environment, the health of community members and the economic stability of the tourism industry.