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.