Agriculture Support in Sindupalchowk, Nepal

Dear Friends and Supporters

Like many parts of the world Covid-19 in Nepal has placed restrictions on many aspects of daily life. According to the WHO case morbidity and mortality are increasing in Nepal unlike many other countries in SE Asia. This is probably due to the heavy influx of migrant workers arriving back from the Middle East and heading back to their villages, many in the remoter areas. However the economic pressures on many is now forcing them to head for India to find work and sustenance. This continual, and uncontrolled, movement of people is difficult to manage. With regards to rural agriculture the government has been slow to react and lock down rules have not been modified to help rural farmers. The collapse of tourism, a major earner for Nepal, has affected agricultural supply chains and made it very difficult for rural farmers to survive.It is predicted that there has been a 50% to 90% drop in agribusiness.

For these many reasons our project has been slow to get off the ground. Travel between districts and villages has been challenging and forebidden most of the time . Over the last few months meetings with staff and farmers have been very difficult to arrange and manage. Agricultural production is very important but many small businesses are affected and struggling to survive. Food prices are rising and people forced to cut-back or try to be self sufficient.

The virus is creating problems all around the world but for a poor country like Nepal it has a massive impact. Everyday survival is the norm for millions but the impact of the corona virus is making it much worse. We hope to get this project in to full swing as soon as possible but can only do so with government approval. Thank you for your patience and for all your support. We still need some funding for this project and we hope you can tell friends and colleagues about us and ask for their support too.

Thank you for all your help and stay safe.

Namaste. 

Dear Friends and Supporters.

Since our last report there has been no progress. The Covid19 pandemic was slow to start in Nepal and it did look as though we could begin some of the farming activities to support our 140 farmers. Unfortunately this has not been the case and the country is now in total lock down. The lock down means that we cannot employ technical training staff, veterinary services and agricultural expert training to boost knowledge and production. The government response is limited and very ad hoc. Many farmers have still to receive government permission to farm commercially.

An open border with India and the potential for over 3 million migrant workers to flood back to their homes and villages is leading to huge unemployment and lower incomes. The spread of the virus is likely to get worse.

Covid19 is disrupting major activities particularly in the agriculture and supply chains.It has badly damaged the tourism sector with major shut downs of hotels, restuarants and other tourist related activities. Farming and agriculture are heavily reliant on tourism for income and it will take some time to recover from this calamity. Once we can get going improved techniques and farming practices will help with a more rapid recovery.

The people of Sindupalchowk are still recovering from the earthquake four and a half years a go. Now they are facing another disaster but as they have already proved they have the resileance to fight back and create a better life for themselves through enterprise and hard work.

We still require some funding to complete this project and we hope you will continue to help. Without your support we could never have contemplated helping 140 farmers, their families and the wider agriculture network to hope for a brighter future. Thank you for your support and please share with your wider network.

Namaste