Agriculture Support in Sindupalchowk, Nepal

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