21 January 2010 

The happy moment to launch the Landcare program in South Asia has come on 20th November 2009. The launching program was hosted by the ICRAF South Asia Program in New Delhi, headed by ICRAF SA Regional Coordinator, Dr. Pal Singh. Dennis Garrity, ICRAF’s Director General and Chair of the Steering Committee for Landcare International graced the occasion with Dr. Dina Nath Tewari, ICRAF Board member and renowned Indian scientist and parliamentarian.

The successful event was attended by researchers, NGO partners, and government officials from India and Nepal, at the beautiful complex of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR). The launching was followed by technical sessions on the potential of Landcare in six different ecosystems in India and the Himalayan border of Nepal. The session ended with the creation of Working Group for Landcare South-Asia. The Working Group is now bracing to develop a strategy for furthering Landcare in the region.