ITHAKA INSTITUTE FOR CLIMATE FARMING (ITHAKA NEPAL)

Organizational Profile

Focus Areas: Climate-Resilient Agriculture · Agroforestry · Carbon Sequestration · Nature-Based Solutions

Registered Offices: Ratanpur, Tanahun and Hattiban, Lalitpur, Nepal

Established: 6 January 2016

Institutional Experience: 10 years

Contact: 9851090739, 9860831694

Email: ithakainstitute@gmail.com; pandit@ithaka-institut.org

Website: https://nepal.ithaka-institut.org/

Profile Prepared: August 2026

1. Organization Overview

The Ithaka Institute for Climate Farming (ITHAKA NEPAL) is headquartered in Ratanpur, Tanahun, Nepal and has been active since 2016. The institute is dedicated to advancing climate-resilient agriculture, agroforestry, carbon sequestration, regenerative land management and nature-based climate solutions through scientific research, innovation, demonstration, capacity building and field implementation.

Over nearly a decade, ITHAKA NEPAL has developed a multidisciplinary technical team with capabilities spanning research, consulting, commercial and development initiatives, enabling flexible implementation of activities according to project requirements.

ITHAKA NEPAL works at the interface of science, policy, technology, and community development. The organization supports practical solutions that enhance agricultural productivity while contributing to climate change mitigation, ecosystem restoration and rural livelihoods.

The organization collaborates with government agencies, local communities, academic institutions, international organizations and private-sector partners to develop evidence-based and implementation-oriented climate farming approaches suitable for Nepal.

2. Vision, Mission and Organizational Objectives

Vision

To promote climate-resilient landscapes through science, innovation and community-driven climate farming solutions that improve livelihoods while restoring ecosystems and mitigating climate change.

Mission

To generate scientific knowledge, develop innovative climate farming technologies, strengthen local capacities, and facilitate practical implementation of nature-based solutions that contribute to sustainable agroforestry, high-value agriculture and forest garden, carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation and resilient rural communities.

Organizational Objectives

Promote climate-smart agriculture and regenerative farming systems.
Advance agroforestry and ecosystem restoration.
Conduct scientific research on carbon sequestration and climate farming.
Develop practical carbon market solutions for smallholder farmers.
Strengthen community capacity through training and demonstration.
Promote biochar and circular bioeconomy approaches.
Support evidence-based policy and programme development.
Foster collaboration among research institutions, governments, development partners and local communities.

3. Core Areas of Expertise

ITHAKA NEPAL's multidisciplinary team brings together field, scientific and digital expertise across the full climate-farming value chain.

Climate Farming
Promotion of High-Value Agriculture Value Chains
Agroforestry System Design
Carbon Sequestration Research
Biochar Production and Utilization
Carbon Accounting
Digital Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (dMRV)
Voluntary Carbon Markets
Landscape Restoration
Community Forestry
Soil Health Management
Climate Change Adaptation
Nature-Based Solutions
Regenerative Agriculture
GIS and Spatial Analysis
Environmental Monitoring
Project Design and Feasibility Studies
Capacity Building and Training

4. Geographic Presence

ITHAKA NEPAL has implemented research, demonstration, consulting and community-based projects across multiple districts of Nepal, including:

Lalitpur
Tanahun
Pyuthan
Dhading
Lamjung
Kavre

5. Technical Capacity

Staffing

7 field staff in Carbon Farm, Ratanpur
1 Account and Administration Officer
1 Executive Director
2 Agroforestry and Carbon Experts
1 GESI Expert

Field Equipment

4 laptops
Printers
Garmin GPS device
Tree measurement tools set

Digital / dMRV Tools

ITHAKA NEPAL is currently using a Circonomy-based digital Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (dMRV) application.

Laboratory / Nursery Facilities

Biomass, soil and biochar carbon measurement laboratory
Muffle furnace
Drying oven
pH meter

Vehicles

1 car

Research and Demonstration Land

ITHAKA NEPAL owns approximately 3.5 hectares of research field in Tanahun. It also holds contract agreements with local farmers to use another 3.5 hectares of private land for carbon farming, including two farm guest houses.

6. Institutional Experience: Major Projects

6.1 BeChange – Building Climate Resilient Village Economies through Use of Bio-Input Fertilizer: Adaptation at Scale (Stage 1)

Duration: 2017–2019

Funding Agencies: UKAID Award – £10,000 and Ithaka Foundation, Switzerland

Location: Tanahu, Lamjung and Kavre districts, Nepal

Role: Lead Implementing Organization

Project Summary

The project focused on developing innovative climate adaptation approaches that could be implemented at scale while strengthening ecosystem resilience, climate-smart agriculture and community capacity.

The activities included research, field demonstrations, knowledge generation and dissemination of practical climate-farming solutions.

Key Contributions

Climate adaptation farming research
Agroforestry promotion and value chain
Capacity building
Nature-based solutions
Knowledge dissemination
Biodiversity conservation
Forest restoration

6.2 BeChange – II Phase: Adaptation at Scale Innovation Prize (Stage 2)

Award: Second Award – £75,000

Duration: 2019–2022

Organizer: UK Aid / Adaptation at Scale Programme

Location: Nepal

Project Summary

ITHAKA NEPAL's innovative climate-farming approach was recognized under the Adaptation at Scale Innovation Programme for demonstrating practical and scalable nature-based solutions addressing climate resilience, sustainable agriculture and ecosystem restoration.

6.3 Bandipur Hill Reforestation Project

Duration: 2022–2025

Donors: Ithaka Switzerland and Atmosfair gGmbH, Germany

Project Budget: €30,000

Location: Bandipur Rural Municipality, Tanahun

Project Summary

The project was a landscape restoration initiative that established more than 3,000 trees over approximately 3 hectares using scientifically designed planting, fog-water harvesting, mulching and long-term maintenance techniques.

Major Activities

Reforestation
Forest restoration and biodiversity conservation
Community engagement
GPS-based monitoring and reporting
Survival assessment
Fog-water harvesting
Climate resilience
Carbon accounting

6.4 Carbon Farming Experiment on High-Value Coffee-Based Agroforestry Gardening on Abandoned Agricultural Land

Project Title: The Carbon Farming Experiment: Long-term, Large-scale Comparison of Carbon Farming Systems at Tiger Hill: An Ithaka Institute Project Set-up in Ratanpur, Nepal

Location: Ratanpur, Bhanu Municipality, Tanahun

Duration: 2022–2024

Donors: Atmosfair gGmbH and Ithaka Switzerland

Project Budget: €130,000

Project Summary

The objective of the project was to identify which carbon-farming systems have the highest carbon sink and economic impact. The project used carbon assessment methods based on scientific literature and Ithaka's own experience.

The direct local impact of the project consisted of two main pillars:

Yields and income generated through the sale of farm products.
Educational purposes related to carbon-farming approaches.

Over a two-year period, the project established the foundation of a long-term carbon experiment inside 7 hectares of land at Tiger Hill Farm and handed over the project activities to Ithaka NGO for continuation of the project in the long run.

Major Activities

Land rent and acquisition
Nursery establishment
Research experiment design and setup
First-year planting
Fencing and irrigation management
Biochar fertilizer production using farm crop and grass residues

6.5 Agroforestry and Tree Planting (Carbon Farming) Experiment on Abandoned Agricultural Land

Location: Ratanpur, Bhanu Municipality, Tanahun

Duration: 2024–Ongoing

Donors: Atmosfair gGmbH and Ithaka Switzerland

Project Budget: €70,000

Project Fund Management: Ithaka NGO

Project Summary

This is a long-term scientific research and demonstration project evaluating nine different coffee-based agroforestry systems to understand:

Carbon sequestration
Carbon monitoring, both above-ground and below-ground
Biodiversity enhancement
Soil improvement
Climate resilience under Nepalese conditions

The project is a continuation of the coffee-based carbon-farming experiment established by Ithaka Institute Pvt. Ltd. in 2022.

Major Activities

Coffee-based agroforestry value-chain research
Carbon sequestration monitoring
Soil analysis
GPS and barcode identification
App-based monitoring
Biochar application
Above-ground and below-ground carbon monitoring
Demonstration and training

6.6 Dissemination of Pyrolysis Cook Stoves for the Production of Biochar to be Used for Soil Improvement and as a Nature-Based Carbon Sink

Location: Ratanpur, Bhanu Municipality, Tanahun

Focus: TLUD pyrolysis cookstoves for clean cooking and biochar production

Duration: December 2024–June 2026

Donor: Die Ofenmacher e.V., Germany

Project Budget: €15,352

Project Fund Management: Ithaka NGO

Project Summary

The project promoted Top-Lit Updraft (TLUD) pyrolysis cookstoves for clean cooking, sustainable biochar production, soil fertility improvement, and long-term carbon sequestration.

The project integrated household energy improvement with climate mitigation and scientific monitoring of biochar production and application.

Major Activities

Household training
Stove dissemination
Biochar production
Biochar application
Farmer monitoring
Future planning for carbon credit generation using dMRV
Carbon sink assessment

6.7 Dhading C-Sink Project

Project Title: Development of a Community-Based Biochar Carbon Sink Project in Dhading District, Nepal

Project Location: Dhading District, Nepal

Duration: June 2025–Ongoing

Client / Partner: KALO Earth, Switzerland

Role: Technical Lead / Carbon Sink Development Support

Project Summary

The Dhading C-Sink Project focuses on the development of a community-based biochar carbon sink programme by integrating sustainable biomass utilization, biochar production, carbon accounting, digital Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (dMRV), and international carbon certification requirements.

The project aims to establish a high-integrity carbon sink that generates long-term climate benefits while creating additional livelihood opportunities for local communities.

The project provides technical support across the entire carbon project development cycle, including project design, baseline assessment, carbon accounting, monitoring framework development, digital data management, documentation, and preparation for carbon certification under the Global Artisan C-Sink Standard.

Major Activities

Carbon sink project design and development
Baseline assessment and biomass resource evaluation
Carbon accounting and estimation of carbon removals
Implementation of digital Monitoring, Reporting and Verification systems
Preparation of project design documentation for carbon certification
Internal auditing
Community engagement and capacity building
Technical coordination with international carbon certification experts
Quality assurance and technical review of project documentation

6.8 Shobhana e.V. Project – High-Value Organic Turmeric Cultivation in Khaira Village of Pyuthan District

Project Title: Training and Demonstration on Organic Turmeric Cultivation

Project Location: Khaira Village of Pyuthan Municipality, Pyuthan District, Nepal

Duration: March 2026–Ongoing

Client / Partner: Shobhana e.V., Germany

Role: Technical Lead / Organic Fertilization in Turmeric Farming Field Demonstration

Project Fund: USD 2,861

7. Strategic Partnerships

ITHAKA NEPAL collaborates with a growing network of institutional, technical, government, academic, international, and community partners, including:

Foundation Ithaka Institute for Carbon Strategies, Switzerland
Carbon Standards International, Switzerland
Kalo Earth, Switzerland
Atmosfair GmbH, Germany
Die Ofenmacher, Germany
Women Corporation Forum, Pyuthan
District Forest Office, Tanahun
Bandipur Rural Municipality, Tanahun
Bhanu Municipality, Tanahun
Siddhalekh Municipality, Dhading
Upahar Multipurpose Women Cooperative
National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management, Haryana, India
Ratanpur Community Forest User Groups
Kathmandu Forestry College (KAFCOL)
Agroforestry Promotion Nepal
Nepal Agroforestry Foundation
Academic and research institutions
Circonomy, dMRV app developer
Woven Earth, USA
Eternal Hope Nepal, Chitwan
International Partnership for Satoyama Initiative, Japan, in collaboration with KAFCOL
ApTech Lab Nepal

8. Research, Outreach and Innovation

Current research areas of ITHAKA NEPAL include:

Coffee-based agroforestry value chains
Biochar carbon sequestration
Forest garden systems on abandoned agricultural land
Carbon farming
Forest restoration
Carbon accounting and monitoring
Climate-smart agriculture
Nature-based solutions and carbon removal
Soil carbon dynamics
Digital MRV systems
Fog-water harvesting
Barcode-based unique tree identification and monitoring
Climate adaptation technologies

9. Publications and Knowledge Products

In addition to a wide range of general articles in the Biochar Journal and the Ithaka Journal, ITHAKA NEPAL publishes scientific results in dedicated peer-reviewed journals.

The detailed list of publications can be accessed through the organization's publications page.

Selected Publications

Lotz, S., Pandit, B.H., Schmidt, H.P. et al. (2026). Trade-off between yield and carbon storage in Nepali coffee agroforestry. Agroforestry Systems, 100, 49.
McGunnigle, N., Bardsley, D., Nuberg, I., Cedamon, E. & Pandit, B.H. (2023). The Succession of Farmers' Perceptions of Transitioning Landscapes: A Case Study of Agroforestry in the Middle Hills of Nepal. Human Ecology.
Pandit, B.H., Aryal, N. & Schmidt, H.P. (2022). Socio-ecological Transformation through Planting Mixed Tree Species on Abandoned Agricultural Land. In Nishi M. et al. (eds), Fostering Transformative Change for Sustainability in the Context of Socio-ecological Production Landscapes and Seascapes , pp. 77–94.
Pandit, B.H., Chapagain, R., Cedamon, E., Paudel, N.S., Pokhrel, D.C. & Nuberg, I. (2020). Choosing Best Practice Nursery: A Way Forward for a Successful Plantation Project. Research Paper Series on Agroforestry and Community Forestry in Nepal, Volume 2020-01, ISSN 2208-0392.
Pandit, B.H., Nuberg, I., Shrestha, K.K., Cedamon, E., Amatya, S.M., Dhakal, B. & Schmidt, H.P. (2020). Revitalising Agrarian Economies: The Use of Biochar on Banana-Based Agroforestry System in Nepal's Hills. Journal of Forest and Livelihood, 19(1), 17–31.
Pandit, B.H., Michaelis, F.L., Pandit, N.R. & Aryal, N.K. (2016). Strengthening Local Capacity for Conserving Medicinal Plants and Improving Livelihoods through Domestication and Integration of LBSAPs. In Satoyama Initiative Review-II.
Pandit, B.H. (2019). Forest Gardening on Abandoned Agricultural Land Contribute to Ground Cover Change and Food Security. Journal of Forest and Livelihoods, 18(1), 54–65.
Pandit, B.H., Nuberg, I., Shrestha, K.K., Cedamon, E., Amatya, S.M., Dhakal, B. & Neupane, R.P. (2018). Impacts of Market-Oriented Agroforestry on Farm Income and Food Security: Insights from Kavre and Lamjung Districts of Nepal. Agroforestry Systems.
Schmidt, H.P., Pandit, B.H., Cornelissen, G. & Kammann, C.I. (2017). Biochar-Based Fertilization with Liquid Nutrient Enrichment: 21 Field Trials Covering 13 Crop Species in Nepal. Land Degradation & Development.
Pandit, B.H., Nuberg, I., Shrestha, K.K., Cedamon, E., Amatya, S.M., Dhakal, B. & Schmidt, H.P. (2018). Enhancing Livelihoods with Banana-Based Agroforestry Systems and Biochar Fertilizer in Mid-Hills of Nepal. Proceedings of the International Agroforestry Conference, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Anu, J.S. & Pandit, B.H. (2017). Action Research into a Flood Resilient Value Chain: Biochar-Based Organic Fertilizer Replaces Chemical Fertilizer with Double Yield of Pea in Udayapur, Nepal. American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 5(4), 84–93.
Pandit, N.R., Mulder, J., Hale, S.E., Schmidt, H.P., Cornelissen, G. & Cowie, A. (2017). Biochar from Kon-Tiki Flame Curtain and Other Kilns: Effects of Nutrient Enrichment and Kiln Type on Crop Yield and Soil Chemistry. PLOS ONE, 12, e0176378.
Shrestha, A.J. & Pandit, B.H. (2017). Action Research into a Flood Resilient Value Chain: Biochar-Based Organic Fertilizer Doubles Productivity of Pea in Udayapur, Nepal. American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 5(4), 84–93.
Pandit, B.H., Lopez-Casero, F.M., Pandit, N.R. & Aryal, N.K. (2016). Strengthening Local Capacity for Conserving Medicinal Plants and Improving Livelihoods through Domestication and Integration of LBSAP in Planning Process. In UNU-IAS and IGES.
Schmidt, H., Pandit, B., Martinsen, V., Cornelissen, G., Conte, P. & Kammann, C. (2015). Fourfold Increase in Pumpkin Yield in Response to Low-Dosage Root Zone Application of Urine-Enhanced Biochar to a Fertile Tropical Soil. Agriculture, 5, 723–741.
Cornelissen, G., Pandit, N.R., Taylor, P., Pandit, B.H., Sparrevik, M. & Schmidt, H.P. (2016). Emissions and Char Quality of Flame-Curtain "Kon Tiki" Kilns for Farmer-Scale Charcoal/Biochar Production. PLOS ONE, 11, e0154617.
Schmidt, H.P. & Shackley, S. (2016). Biochar Horizon 2025. In Biochar in European Soils and Agriculture: Science and Practice.
Schmidt, H.P., Bucheli, T., Glaser, B., Abiven, S. & Leifeld, J. (2015). European Biochar Certificate: Guidelines for a Sustainable Production of Biochar. Version 7.1.
Pandit, B.H., Shrestha, K.K. & Bhattarai, S.S. (2015). Sustainable Local Livelihoods through Enhancing Agroforestry Systems in Nepal. Journal of Forest and Livelihoods, 12(1), 35–51.

10. Why ITHAKA NEPAL

Ithaka Nepal is a multidisciplinary organization working at the intersection of agriculture, climate, soil, forests, and rural livelihoods. The organization combines scientific knowledge with practical field experience to develop and demonstrate solutions that are locally appropriate, environmentally sound, and economically viable for farmers and rural communities.

The organization's approach is grounded in learning by doing. ITHAKA NEPAL works directly with farmers, producer groups, cooperatives, local institutions, and other partners to test technologies and practices under real field conditions, learn from their results, and adapt them to local needs.

This approach helps bridge the gap between research and implementation and supports the adoption and scaling of promising solutions.

ITHAKA NEPAL's experience covers:

Agroecological and regenerative agriculture
Soil health and restoration
Bio-inputs and biochar
Agroforestry
Reforestation
Climate-resilient farming
Resource-efficient technologies
Farmer capacity building
Community-based natural resource management
Field-based programme design and management
Monitoring and evaluation
Data collection and management
Documentation and knowledge sharing

ITHAKA NEPAL places particular importance on understanding the local ecological, social and economic context in which agricultural solutions are introduced. The organization considers local resource availability, farmers' knowledge and priorities, institutional arrangements, market opportunities, costs and long-term sustainability rather than focusing only on individual technologies.

The organization's strength lies in bringing together technical expertise and field realities. Whether developing an agroecological farming model, assessing a decentralized bio-input system, restoring degraded land, improving agricultural productivity, or exploring new approaches to rural enterprise and resource management, ITHAKA NEPAL aims to create solutions that are practical for communities and relevant to the wider agricultural system.

Through partnerships with farmers, government institutions, development organizations, researchers, and other technical partners, ITHAKA NEPAL seeks to contribute to a transition towards resilient, productive, regenerative, and locally rooted agricultural systems in Nepal.