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Promoting Self-reliance of Low-Caste Women
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1. Scenery of Thanamoula VDC. In the rainy season, the village is covered with rich green trees, but in dry season, we cannot see such greenery. The higher alltitude, the destruction of environment is more serious. About half of Nepal population is living in this kind of condition. | |
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2. Children carrying fire wood. This is a very important job, since there is no gas in the village. Even at around 10 years old, children carry 20 - 30 kg of firewood on their back. Since the forest in Khanigaun VDC is declining, the children have to walk many km to collect firewood. | |
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3. Villagers house in Limithana VDC. Villagers lay bricks and plast a mixture of soil and cow manure on the surface. Construction period is 2 t o 3 months. A rented house is usually a one or two floor story, with 3 to 4 rooms including a kitchen. | |
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4. Women making straw mats. All domestic duties are womens work. Cooking, taking care of children, making straw mats.They are always so busy! During agricultural off season, men go out for work, so it is women who take care of the house. | |
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5. Since there is no gas in the village, villagers cook on a stove. This year, ICA Nepal promoted improved cook stoves, which are more effective than the existing ones. This one does not require lots of wood. Also, since smoke goes out of the chimney, it causes less effect on villagers health. | |
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6. A village women cleaning rice, which was grinding with millstone, in a bamboo basket. Here, the staple food is rice. However, food self-sufficiency rate is low. Villagers can eat rice only for half a year. For the other half, they mix rice and other grains (finger millet, corn etc.) for their meals. | |
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7. ICA Japan staff visiting last year participants fields. She is planting potatoes as a second crop during winter season. All harvested potatoes are for food self-sufficiency. | |
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8. ICA staff and last year participants discussing about family situation and how to develop their kitchen garden. (Fourth from right:ICA Nepal staff Mr. Uttam Uprety) | |
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9. A villager who started making a kitchen garden after participating in last years training. She can save 1,500 Nrs / year, which she was spending for purchasing vegetables. Even more, she has sold cauliflower seedlings and generated some income. | |
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10. Mr. Uttam Uprety, ICA Nepal staff, facilitating leadership training. Leadership training was conducted to make aware that the villagers themselves are leaders and they are the ones who will promote sustainable agriculture. | |
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11. Mr. Hem sarma Tiwari, agriculturist in Khanigaun village, teaching villagers about cropping techniques (mix cropping, inter cropping and crop rotation) at the vegetable garden of training center. Mr. Hem sarma Tiwari works at an agriculture center in nearby Baglun City. | |
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12. Making nursery soil. The composition is mountain soil, sand and compost in ratio of 2 to 1 to 1. This is mainly used for fruit vegetables. Villagers need to know how to make vegetable seedlings themselves, since it is difficult to purchase vegetable seedlings, living in the village. | |
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13. Filling nursery soil in plastic pots and planting seeds of cucumber, sponge gourd and bitter gord. It is important to make a healthy seedling to have a good harvest. | |
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14. Participants are making a hotbed nursery. This is an effective way to make vegetable seedlings in mountainous areas, where the change of temperature is very big between afternoon and evenings. Dried leaves, rice bran and compost is mixed and fermented, which raises the temperature of nursery soil. | |
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15. Plastic nursery. Making a tunnel with plastic to protect seedlings from cold. After sowing seeds, mulching was done by straw to protect seedlings from getting dry. | |
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16. Natural pesticide. To be environment friendly, agricultural chemicals are not used. Medicinal herbs, which grow in nearby forest are used for prevention of insect damage. Here, participants are making natural pesticide, a mixture of chili and herbs, to prevent red ants. | |
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17. Utilization of micro-organisms. Activities of micro-organisms are essential to make fertile soil. The white fungus is the effective micro-organisms, collected from nearby forest. This can be applied to compost. | |
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18. Evaluation was conducted after training. Participants presented what they had learned. Those who are literate wrote down their reflections. | |
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19. Participants at Mr. Surya Adhikaris permaculture farm. 14 years ago he quit his government work to study and practice permaculture by himself. Permaculture is and will be a effective farming system in Nepal. | |
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20. Visiting Lumle Agriculture Research Center. Participants were very intersested to see many different varieties of vegetables. | |
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21. Visiting TOLI, another NGO, promoting kitchen gardens utilizing sustainable agriculture techniques. This became the most fruitful visit for participants. | |
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22. After training, follow-up to every participants house was conducted. This time, Mr. Hem sarma, our trainer, also came together with ICA Japan staff. We advised how to sow seeds, which was distributed after training, how to make nursery bed etc. according to each participants level. | |
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23. Staff are advising how to transplant seedlings, which are ready. Children also handle seedlings with joy and excitement. Wishing these small seedlings will have abundant harvest. | |
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24. Irrigation water is very important, especially in dry season. One participant made a small pond (pit) at the corner of his kitchen garden. Waste water - water which has been used for washing hands and utensils, will be collected here and will be used for irrigation for his kitchen garden | |
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25. Villagers making a kitchen garden taking Mr. Hem sarmas advice. Cultivating soil, mixing compost, sowing beans was todays work. | |
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26. Excellent tomato, cucumber, chili seedlings. These have grown very well, so we advised the participant to go and sell the surplus at the local market. These seedlings which have germinated from a small seed and grown so beautifully are the hope for the future! | |
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27. This participant not only understood the importance and advantage of kitchen garden - food self-sufficiency, but was also very active to make a beautiful kitchen garden. We wish that a person like her will become a leader and promote sustainable agriculture. | |
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28. We conducted kitchen garden training in Limithana VDC also. Mr. Dhundi of INSAN was also invited. Permaculture methods were applied to kitchen gardening. | |
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29. Compost making, using materials readily available in the village, since there is scarcity of materials in the village. First we dug a hole, and then laid down dry leaves, cow dung and rice bran , adding water time to time. | |
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30. Making natural pesticide. Since we do not use agriculture chemicals, we use medicinal herbs instead to protect plants from pest and disease. During training, 4 types of natural pesticide were introduced. Participants broke up into small groups and actually made it. | |
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31. Making nursery soil. The composition is mountain soil, sand and compost in ratio of 2 to 1 to 1. This is mainly used for fruit vegetables. Villagers need to know how to make vegetable seedlings themselves, since it is difficult to purchase vegetable seedlings living in the village. | |
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32. Participants working together, filling nursery soil in plastic plots and planting 2 seeds each. Wishing a beautiful harvest! Off-season vegetable growing is a new attempt for them. | |
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33. Taking Mr. Dhundhis advice, participants made a vegetable plot and sowed seeds of carrot, tomato, eggplant, swiss chard etc. Participants attitude of carefully dealing with seeds showed their eagerness towards this training. | |
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34. Bio-intensive garden. Participants divided into groups and discussed about food self -sufficiency and bio-intensive garden designing. After that they presented their ideas. Some participants have already started making kitchen gardens in their back yards. | |
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35. Making a small pond to collect wastewater. This will be used for irrigation during dry season, when there is scarcity of water. Participants dug a hole and placed plastic. Wastewater will be collected here. | |
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36. Participants in new course held in Limithana. 34 villagers eagerly participated in the training. We wish that they will become pioneers of promoting kitchen gardening in the village. | |
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37. After training, follow-up to every participants kitchen garden was conducted. This time, Mr. Ananda, Junior Technical Assistant of Limithana VDC, also came together. We advised how to sow seeds, which was distributed after training, how to make nursery bed etc. according to each participants level. | |
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38. A base line survey was also conducted together with followup. We did research about family structure, land ownership, vegetable growing, vegetable consumption etc. | |
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39. Staff giving advice when to take out mulching. This house did not take out the mulching after germination, so the small sprouts had become weak. Followup is most important, since detail advice can be given to each participant. | |
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40. A beautiful kitchen garden in Limithana VDC. There is a water source nearby, so it is easy for this participant to grow vegetables. Since she has lots of experience, it was easy for her to grasp sustainable agriculture techniques. We hope that she will become one of the village leaders who will promote kitchen gardening. | |
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41. This participant has made a fence around her kitchen garden. Since buffaloes, goats and chickens roam around freely in the village, fencing is essential to sustain a kitchen garden. | |
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42. Children playing in a beautiful kitchen garden. We sincerely hope kitchen gardens, which are in touch with nature and sustain villagers life, will spread throughout the villages. | |
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43. Eco-club was formed at Limithana high school. 18 students participated from grade 7 - 9. They are brilliant students who will lead Limithana VDC and in course of time Nepal. | |
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44. Group discussion regarding what they can do to protect environment. Students expressions are very serious! | |
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45. Group leader presenting a fiery speech of what they have discussed in their group. Many interesting ideas came up from each group. | |
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46. Nature observation. With the cooperation of science and environment school teacher, eco-club members went out in the forest to observe nature. They learned about blessing of nature and relationship between their daily life and the forest. | |
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47. Eco club members doing farm work on the demonstration farm, together with ICA field staff. At first it was a bit awkward, since they are not used to it, but with good cooperation they continued working together. | |
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48. Transplanting cucumber seedlings. This is a new member of our eco-club! Wishing it will grow together with eco-club members and have a wonderful harvest. | |
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49. Basket compost. Participants made a bamboo basked in the middle of their vegetable field. Dry leaves, compost, kitchen garbage etc. are placed inside the basket. Micro-organisms become active and the soil becomes fertile from the surrounding. Thus, plants are grown around the basket. | |
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50. Eco-club members sowing seeds in a plastic bag. The idea of harvesting vegetables, which were planted by their own hands, made their hearts tighten with joy and excitement! | |
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51. Making a small pond to collect waste water. Everybody contributed their own ideas. | |
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52. Irrigation committee members gathered for a meeting. Todays agenda is how to improve their drinking water place. Villagers discussing about organization of construction work of replacing a drinking water pipe. | |
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53. One drinking water place serves 10 to 20 families. Water runs only twice a day. Collecting water is womens work. They spend hours to collect water and have to walk up and down steep paths everyday. | |
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54. Every beneficiary of Gahate, participated in construction work of replacing the drinking water pipe. The strong unity among villagers is impressive. | |
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55. Irrigation tanks (1000 liter) which were setup by villagers. ICA only contributed materials, all labor was done volunteerly by villagers. This year, we setup 2 irrigation tanks.in Thanamoula and 2 irrigation tanks in Limithana. | |
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