Last year we received a grant from Marr Munning Trust to work with EcoHimal Nepal to establish Mandan Deupur Agro Forestry Resource Centre (MD AFRC). It is modelled on the successes we have achieved at Deusa AFRC which has recently been extended.
The Coronavirus pandemic has led to a lockdown right across Nepal, but staff at MD ADFC have been able to continue to develop the plant nurseries and produce some fantastic crops. Where possible and safe, they have also been training local farmers - the need to adapt to climate and ecological breakdown has not gone away.
EcoHimal HQ have sent us some photo’s from a recent field visit. The first one shows a small training session for farmers inside one of the Polytunnels at MD AFRC:
Narayan Dhakhal, Exec Director of EcoHimal Nepal talks to farmers at MD AFRC, June 2020
Vegetables, fruits, nuts and pulses all seem to be doing very well at MD AFRC which is great news. As lockdown restrictions ease, local farmers will be able to visit more often for training and to purchase seedlings that they can plant. They will use them to develop or start their own kitchen gardens. Some will start small scale commercial farming.
Bitter gourd
One of the crops being grown and demonstrated at MD AFRC is Bitter Gourd. As the name suggests it is quite bitter to the taste; definitely a vegetable that needs the power of a spicy curry. However, it has several health benefits so it is certainly worth giving it a go.
As well as training farmers in how to grow and look after climate change resilient crops, EcoHimal also train farmers in how to market their crop to improve incomes.
Bitter gourd at Mandan Deupur AFRC, Nepal, June 2020
A third and newer level of support EcoHimal are offering is advice and practical support on the crucial dimension of adding value to the crop. This is crucial to economic development as we explored in our Coffee. Climate. Community. film. If more of the value from the sale of coffee can stay in Nepal (e.g. through roasting in country rather than exporting coffee in green bean form), more money stays in the Nepalese economy, helping it to flourish.
The same principle can apply to fruit and vegetable crops at the level of the local economy around Mandan Deupur. Can value be added to Bitter gourd by farmers or small businesses?
Through their Facebook page (which a lot of farmers involved in EcoHimal’s projects follow), EcoHimal can show how crops like Bitter gourd can be turned into a marketable product - in this instance a delicious smoothie!
