World Vision Nepal

“I am very happy that my children are now getting to eat a variety of vegetables and fruits as a result of my hard work without me having to spend money in buying those,” says Saraswoti Lamichhane.

Saraswoti and her children are beneficiaries of Kaski Area Development Programme’s permaculture and organic farming project. A resident of Rishi Danda, a village in Lekhnath Municipality, Kaski, Saraswoti has two daughters and a son, aged 11, 9 and 7, sponsored by World Vision. After her husband left to work outside the country, Saraswoti has been raising her children single-handedly. Six years ago, Saraswoti enrolled herself in the permaculture training offered in the village, and since then, not only has she been growing a variety of vegetables on her own land, but also saving enough money to set up funds in her village.

Kaski is a district known for its natural beauty and plays host to a multitude of tourists who visit year round to get a glimpse of its breathtaking landscapes and mountains. However tourism in the district has not been able to uplift the conditions of the people in the largely agrarian villages. Oblivious of their surroundings, but dependent on subsistence farming, most village people seem to spend most of their time trying to make ends meet. They produce only enough to feed their families. Many just own small plots of land where they mostly grow corn and maize. Children often suffer because of a lack of a diet that includes fruit or vegetables. Families spend precious savings on purchasing chemical fertilisers to try to increase production on their land.

But today, with the knowledge of permaculture and organic farming, villagers in Kaski have learnt to put nature to good use in agriculture, and stay healthy. They are no longer unaware of the benefits of their natural surroundings. They have realised that their fertile fields can produce much more than just corn and maize. This has consequently improved their income.

World Vision, along with local organisations, the Nepal Permaculture Group and the Society for Rural Urban Partnership, started to work with poor farmers in Kaski from 2003 to improve agricultural production. This was in response to farmers saying that what they grew was barely enough to sustain them through the year. Most farmers reported that there was 2-3 months of the year when their stores of food were virtually finished, and often they lacked the money to buy extra food. Therefore groups of interested farmers – both men and women – were invited to redesign their plots of land along permaculture principles. This meant getting rid of all chemical pesticides and fertilisers, finding natural ways to control insects, and using only organic compost to fertilise the soil. Permaculture focuses on how all aspects of production can be integrated – so that water run off is managed and sustainable, and animal waste is used to enhance crop production.

Rishi Danda was one of the first villages selected by World Vision in training locals to adopt farming based on permaculture principles. People were shown how to make organic compost, liquid fertiliser, organic pesticides, micro-irrigation systems to water vegetable gardens, and trained in crop rotation, seed saving and water storage techniques. Even the local schools set up vegetable gardens for students to tend.  

Since the project started, the thinking of the ADP community has changed from viewing nature as an adversary to viewing it as a friend. And as the concept of permaculture has been accepted in the communities of Kaski, it has helped to promote livelihood security, the environment and pride in farming culture. Families have shifted from living subsistence lives to now having enough income from the surplus produce they sell. Today eight villages and around 260 people trained by World Vision use the permaculture approach that bases production around the natural cycles, seasonal cultivation, and use of sustainable resources through small-scale farming.

“As we grow a variety of vegetables, we no longer need to go to the market for vegetables,” says Devananda Dahal, an elderly farmer from Rishi Danda. He is also one of many who have benefited from adopting permacultural techniques in the village. He also learnt to make organic fertilizers in the trainings that were provided. “I used to buy a lot of chemical fertilizers before and my fingers were showing the signs of the chemical reactions they caused. I didn’t know there were ways to make fertilizers using our own organic waste, and pesticides that could be made from natural local products.” He shows off his fresh green organic chillies. “Before, we used to only grow corn and millet and mustard. Children used to have night blindness, which I now understand is from a deficiency of Vitamin A. Look at our kids now, they are all healthy and well-nourished.”

Production in the village has increased significantly. Farmers involved in the permaculture training were mandated with encouraging the farmers in their individual villages in how to adopt the new techniques. Rishi Danda farmers have also formed a group called Rishi Danda Taja Tarkari Samuha that works in collecting organic vegetables from farmers to sell in markets.

“There are 25 households in the village, and on average, everyone has around 13 ropanis of land. The whole village now is following permaculture principles. Before, some village people had never even tasted a tomato – this year, my friend here produced 800 kg of tomatoes!” continues Devananda, pointing to his neighbour, Bhim Bhadadur Bhujel.

“We’ve organised ourselves into two Vegetable Farmers Groups. The groups work on each other’s lands, and collectively get the surplus produce to market. Everyone contributes monthly to a savings fund, and people can borrow from this fund if there are special needs – for example, a wedding, a funeral or hospital expenses. We’ve been able to contribute, alongside some funding from World Vision, to renovate the school, and build a community meeting place. We’ve even set up a Relief Fund – to contribute to other communities who might have an emergency, like a house fire or a flood,”  says Saraswoti.

Manju Gurung, Community Development Coordinator, Kaski ADP says, “There are a lot of women like Saraswoti whose husbands have migrated to work outside, involved in organic farming these days. They are also supporting their children’s education. On the other hand, seeing the benefits of organic farming, men have started to return home to support their wives to further enhance their economy.”

Kaski ADP is now working with the Nepal Permaculture Group on developing national standards for Organic Agricultural Production. Nepal’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has now endorsed these standards for organic products.  Obtaining Organic Certification for farms in Kaski ADP will provide farmers of organic products with access to international markets, through which to sell certified organic produce.