A villager cuts grass from a leasehold forestry plot that belongs to a group of families in Sirisghari, in the Panchkhal Valley, 40 km east of Kathmandu. In 1993, when the Hills Leasehold Forestry and Forage Development Project got underway with technical support from FAO, the hillside was barren land. Now, a group of poor villagers have a 40-year lease on the land and have planted grasses and fast-growing trees. The hill, which now absorbs the monsoon rains, runs with springs that water new fields of potato and other crops in the village. The project targets the poorest families, those from ethnic minorities and lower castes and those who have less than half a hectare of land or not land at all. - - General: General. In 1993, when the Hills Leasehold Forestry and Forage Development Project got underway with technical support from FAO, the hillside was barren land. Now, a group of poor villagers have a 40-year lease on the land and have planted grasses and fast-growing trees. The hill, which now absorbs the monsoon rains, runs with springs that water new fields of potato and other crops in the village. The project targets the poorest families, those from ethnic minorities and lower castes and those who have less than half a hectare of land or not land at all.