By setting up a model farm with model fields and greenhouses, as well as training in organic farming, the women in the community of Mulkot, Dang, southwestern Nepal, want to learn how to generate a healthy diet and income themselves.
We have been supporting Chay Ya in this project since March 2021. Sabine Klotz, Chairwoman of Chay Ya Austria, reports:
“Following the success of our project in Ghunsa, we are very pleased to set up another model farm for vegetable cultivation and small animal breeding in Mulkot. Located in the southwest of Nepal at only 1,400 m, Mulkot offers the best climatic conditions for this.
Mostly belonging to the Magar ethnic group, the inhabitants of Mulkot are characterized by poverty. They survive primarily through subsistence farming, but due to a lack of diversity, the children in particular are affected by malnutrition and malnutrition. The local population reports a lack of income and the lack of opportunities to generate it. There is no infrastructure to sell self-produced products, because on the one hand not enough food is produced in the first place, on the other hand the women would not know how to sell the products. The situation has worsened further due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since the local women heard about the great success of the organic model farm project in Ghunsa at the inauguration of a school we built in the area in 2019, they have regularly asked the office whether we could start a similar project in their region. As proof of their motivation, the village community independently obtained the necessary permits for the project from the authorities and also received a grant of €3,000 from the Nepalese government for the period after the end of the project. Now nothing stands in the way of a successful start!
In the next 24 months, a model farm will be set up and around 50 local women will be trained in vegetable cultivation practices and animal husbandry so that they can apply the agricultural practices they have learned to their own fields. In addition, networks are to be created between the farmers in order to enable market access. By building and supporting a strong women’s organization (agricultural cooperative) and a women’s committee, the sustainable operation of the model farm can be ensured even after the end of the program.
After successful completion, the model farm in Mulkot should serve as a model project in the region for other communities on sustainable agriculture and women’s empowerment. In Ghunsa, two other villages are now involved in the project, and a similar approach is also planned here in Mulkot, Dang.
In addition to improving the food security of local families and fighting malnutrition among children and adults, the aim is to increase household income by selling the surplus. This should enable the further emancipation of women in Mulkot in the long term. So, let’s get on with it!”
Project sponsor: Chay Ya Austria
Project partner: Chay Ya Nepal
Funding year: since 2021
Project No.: 126-21 A