Food Security Nepal Project #12849

Sustainable Agriculture in Nepal

by Educate the Children

Project Report | Sep 9, 2013
Annual report: ETC's sustainable agricultural work

By Lisa Lyons | U.S. Director

A woman in her kitchen garden

$283.

For those of us living in the developed world, that doesn't sound like much - but to a woman farmer in rural Nepal, it is more money than she has ever earned before.

And $283 is the average amount earned last year by the 42 women who are, with ETC's help, running semi-commercial vegetable farms on pieces of land averaging about 7,400 square feet (676 square meters).

These are women who, a mere five years ago, couldn't even read or write, much less run their own small businesses. But today, they are earning more money to support their families than they could ever before have imagined. ETC provides them with the resources and training they need to succeed, and taught them basic literacy and numeracy too, as well as important business practices such as price-setting and record-keeping.

Your support of our sustainable agricultural development work has made possible a source of pride and livelihood for these women and many others. Among the other achievements of our program year that ended on 30 June 2013 are:

All 842 of our women's group members are growing kitchen gardens. Of those, 98% are in "excellent" or "good" condition; only 2% could use some improvements (for example, they may need more frequent weeding).
The women's kitchen gardens yielded more than 650,000 lb. (295,000 kg.) of produce. Of that amount, about 83% was consumed by the women's families, and the remaining 17% was sold at market for an average of $27 per woman. Again - while this doesn't sound like much to us, keep in mind that it represents about three weeks' worth of their pre-ETC household income.
Our agricultural training activities focused on encouraging the cultivation of high-value crops such as tomatoes and mushrooms (for 46 training participants), and "cold crops" such as cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage (for 37 training participants). All are very suitable for the climate and soil conditions. I can tell you from personal experience that the "cold crop" harvest in February 2013 was plentiful - I visited in March 2013 and ate a lot of cauliflower. And normally I don't particularly care for cauliflower, but I loved this! So fresh, and seasoned nicely!
Because it is not possible for all 842 women's group members to attend any given agricultural training event, each women's group has a chosen Leader Farmer who attends as many trainings as possible and passes along the knowledge gained to her peers during their monthly women's group meetings, as well as by visiting her friends and neighbors and discussing farm topics with them.
ETC also supports livestock farmers: We provided training (in proper feeding, housing, etc.) and seed money (to buy female goats) for 52 aspiring goat farmers, each of whom is working to start her own small livestock farm. Goats are very popular because they are relatively easy to care for and do not take up a lot of space, and because they provide milk as well as meat. The average income during the past year for these 52 women, from their goat-farming activities, was $77; it is sure to increase in years to come as the farms are better established.
Through our Agriculture in Schools program, we are working with 53 children at three schools, to teach them about basic farming and kitchen gardening techniques. They are responsible for maintaining kitchen gardens on the grounds of their schools, and they are able to pass along what they learn to their farming families. They are also encouraged to develop a deeper appreciation for the fundamental dignity and importance of agricultural work.

As you can see, we had a very busy and successful year. We are so grateful to you for your support of our sustainable agricultural development work, and hope that we have conveyed to you through this and other reports how much of a real, life-changing impact your support has made!

A mother goat and her kids

Links:

Photo essay: ETC's sustainable agricultural development work

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Jun 13, 2013
Update: Sustainable Agriculture in Nepal

By Lisa Lyons | U.S. Director

Leafy greens - great source of vitamins

On behalf of everyone at Educate the Children, I would like to thank you again for your support of our agricultural development work in Nepal.

Some of you may be wondering why, if we are called "Educate the Children," we are doing agricultural work. The answer to that question takes us back some 20 years.

ETC was (as the name indicates!) started for the purpose of giving impoverished children the opportunity to attend school even if their families could not afford to pay for uniforms, school supplies and fees, etc. However, we soon realized that our work would be even more effective if we did two other things as well:

Ensured that the children's parents, often illiterate themselves, were convinced of the value of education in their children's lives, and
Ensured that the children had enough to eat, because they cannot do well in school if they are hungry or malnourished.

Earlier this year, I bought myself a plane ticket and visited Nepal for the first time. I saw first-hand the kitchen gardens, larger vegetable farms, and goat and poultry farms of hundreds of families in the Dolakha District, where ETC is presently working. I even got to eat some of the local foods at my daily meals - especially caulflower, eggs, milk, and greens - and it was fresh and tasty and nutritious!

Here are some of the activities that your generosity has made possible during the past several months:

An animal health clinic: 180 local farmers brought some 3,000 farm animals to this clinic, at which two veterinarians and five veterinary technicians provided routine check-ups, vaccinations, and medications for the animals.
Kitchen garden resources: ETC distributed seeds for summer crops to 842 women who are growing nutritious food in their kitchen gardens. Their families eat better year-round because of these gardens, and any excess produce can be sold at market to increase household incomes.
Agricultural training: ETC's agricultural staff specialists held a training workshop on mushroom cultivation. Mushrooms are a good cash crop in Nepal.

We promote low-cost, environmentally friendly farming techniques, including the use of compost and non-toxic pesticides made from natural and readily available ingredients such as plant extracts.

The skills and knowledge these women have gained through participating in ETC's agricultural development activities will last them a lifetime, and will help ensure that their families will eat better for years to come. Moreover, the income generated from agricultural activities enables women to keep their children in school and to support their families' well-being in many other ways that were not previously possible.

The photos below and on the website link are those I took in March 2013 in Nepal. I hope you enjoy seeing how your generosity is truly making a difference in the lives of people in Nepal!

Many women run small goat farms

Links:

Sustainable Agriculture Program photo essay

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Mar 25, 2013
Update: Sustainable Agriculture in Dolakha, Nepal

By Lisa Lyons | U.S. Director

A kitchen garden in Dolakha

Many of us think of agriculture as something that happens primarily on a huge commercial scale, during the months encompassing spring through fall.

But in Dolakha District, Nepal, sustainable agriculture is a year-round endeavour undertaken by individuals, families, and cooperative groups of friends and neighbors.

Through Educate the Children, 842 women are receiving the training and supplies they need to grow kitchen gardens year-round. Popular colder-weather crops include cauliflower, broccoli, and green onions. (I have recently returned from a visit to Dolakha, and I ate a LOT of cauliflower - and it was very good.) Now that spring is arriving, the women are ready to grow squash and tomatoes too. Leafy greens are highly nutritious, and different kinds can be grown year-round.

Many women also raise livestock. Goats and poultry are especially popular because they provide milk and eggs for a family to eat, and as with the kitchen gardens, any extra food produced can be sold at market. ETC offers training and resources to help these farmers feed and house their livestock properly, and periodically we also hold animal health clinics. The most recent clinic took place on March 4, 2013 - two veterinarians and five veterinary technicians provided health screenings (including any necessary vaccines) for 3,000 animals!

During the past few months, through GlobalGiving.org, we have been promoting one particular aspect of our sustainable agricultural development programming: Agriculture in Schools. We have reached nearly 70% of our fundraising goal for this purpose, and we again thank those of you who have contributed! Please click here to read more about Agriculture in Schools.

All of these activities are carried out with a couple of basic premises in mind. First, they must be earth-friendly: We teach the preparation and use of non-chemical pesticides and fertilization techniques. Compost pits, for example, are prevalent in kitchen gardens. Second, they must have an enduring impact: By providing the tools and the knowledge, we help ensure that families will always be able to grow and consume wholesome food, and will be less likely to suffer from malnutrition and food insecurity in years to come.

As always, we thank you very much for your support - we really could not do it without you! Please enjoy these photos, which I took during my visit to Dolakha in early March 2013.

This woman's garden is thriving!

A goat and her kids

These seedlings are ready to be planted

Harvesting some healthy greens

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