By Steven Murdoch | Project Manager
From unyielding plot into harvest heaven!
Situated 150 km west of Kathmandu is the municipality of Khairahani. It sits in the Chitwan District, within Bagmati Province.
Khairahani consists largely of agricultural land and small holdings and is home to Ranjita.
Now in her mid twenties, Ranjita became involved in the project two years ago. At that time, she lived with her husband, his parents and his two sisters.
The plot that didn’t do a lot
Ranjita’s father-in-law had hired a small plot of land for farming. The whole family worked the land and sold their harvests at the local market.
On the face of things, it looks like nothing much has changed. Ranjita still works the land and still sells the produce at the market.
But really, things couldn’t be much more different
Back in 2021 the sale of the produce barely brought in enough money to cover the rent of the land. The harvests were poor, yielding little in size or quality.
Knowledge changes everything
Ranjita’s first experience in joining her new women’s group was to receive skills-based agricultural training.
First up was soil testing to understand the quality and composition of the soil in their little plot.
This training armed her with the knowledge of which crops were best suited to the conditions.
Next up was understanding how to identify and source the most appropriate seeds.
After that, the group studied cultivation and watering methods. All aimed at yielding the best crop and profit margin.
Same market, different Ranjita
Ranjita can still be seen at the market. But this time everything is different. The women's group pool their high-quality produce and gain a better selling price.
Ranjita has knowledge and not just in farming.
Over the past two years she has received training in her rights, gender-based violence, and discrimination.
She has gone from fearing her father-in-law, to educating him. Her confidence is high. The whole family look to her for leadership and guidance.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, Ranjita has her eye on a larger plot of land. Her plan is to increase production and sell direct to market, in her words “like a professional farmer!”
By Soph Stephens | Digital Fundraiser
By Soph Stephens | Digital Fundraiser
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