SADP Nepal

Govardhan Sharma Organic Agriculture Resource Center (GSOARC), Tanahun

As per the experience gained by the organization, importance of establishing an organic agriculture resource center should be given priority for the development of the organic agriculture in the country like Nepal. Its main objective is to disseminate information, conducting trainings, practical knowledge about organic agriculture especially targeted to the grassroots farmers. The necessity was felt by the farmers during different awareness campaigns in this part of district. We have been providing trainings and conducting workshops related to organic agriculture and its activities. In a due course, from the discussion with board members of Govardhan Sharma Memorial Trust Fund (GSMTF) provide two acres of land to establish the resource center in ward no. 9 Pokhrelphant of Vyas Municipality whereas the resource center was established in joint venture of SADP-Nepal and GSMTF and named it as Govardhan Sharma Organic Agriculture Resource Center (GSOARC). SADP is paying its attention to establish and to develop organic agriculture along with the collective effort and common goal.

Goal :

• To develop and promote organic agriculture in Tanahun district in different phases,
• To conduct awareness campaign regarding organic farming targeted to the farmers of the program area,
• To organize different types of training programs such as basic introduction to organic agriculture, to prepare organic fertilizer and bio pesticides.
• To disseminate information regarding organic farming.
• To pilot the concept of organic farming towards school level
• To create awareness about the importance of preserving organic seeds and local varieties of indigenous seeds.
• To attract farmers in animal husbandry by creating awareness towards interrelation of livestock and organic farming
• To conduct different research and development based programs with the mutual benefit of the local farmers and following the core principle of organic farming.

Future Plan:

• To strengthen the GSOARC and to develop it as an institution in the long term effect.
• To start research and development program continually with  the consent of experts and professionals
• Continuation of awareness campaigns in different parts of targeted area,
• To conduct trainings program frequently and to develop (office) place as a training  centre,
• To organize school education program regarding the importance of OA.
• To conduct awareness programs among the consumers to develop sustainable consumer behaviors,
• To promote agro (eco) tourism with different culture programs in the area,

Activities

• Vermiculture (one of the best fertilizer for organic farming)
• Preparation of different kind of liquid fertilizer such as Panchagavya, Panchpatra, Amrithakarsal etc,
• Compost preparation etc.
• Organic Farming and livestock,
• Trainings, workshops etc.
• School organic programs,
• Off season vegetable growing in plastic house,

Kalesti Khola(Stream) Watershed Management Project, Tanahun

Tanahun District is, a part of Gandaki Zone, is one of the seventy-five district of Nepal which is situated in the centre point of the country, a landlocked country of South Asia The district, with Damauli as its district headquarters, covers an area of 1,546 km² and has a population (2001) of 315,237.

Kalesti  Khola is in Tanahun District which is  the tributary of Madi river one of the major river in Nepal. Kalesti  Khola watershed covers the ward number 9 of Vyas Municipality where the total population is 1610, Ward Number 1,2 & 5 of Kyamin Village Development Committee (VDC), total population of these wards is 3475,  Ward Number 6,7 & 8 of Tanhunshur VDC 1405 people are residing in these wards, Ward No 7,8 & 9 of Sastiswanra VDC  total population of these wards is 2549 of Tanahun District. Total 9039 populations of these VDCs will be benefitted.  People of different ethnicity and caste such as Brahmin, Chhetri, Gurung, Magar, Newar, Darai, Kumal, Damai, Kami, Bote and other occupational castes live in this watershed area. The population of the occupational castes (deprived groups in Nepal) in the project area is about 20% of the total population. The watershed is undergoing degradation at varying rates caused by a myriad of multi-layer factors ranging from national policies to the changing livelihood of rural people.

The project area is rich of Bio-diversity and culture. Specially Darai, Kumal, Bote have their own culture. Darai are famous for handicraft and fishing, in the same way Kumal’s main occupation is to make mud pots as well as fishing and farming. Main occupation of the Bote is fishing as they used to stay in the bank of rivers.

Objectives

The project aims for sustainable management of Kalesti Khola watershed through livelihood security of communities (throughout the watershed) by means of soil and water conservation, sustainable management of natural resources, and sustainable agricultural practices. The specific objectives of the project are:

1. To increase the livelihood security of the communities through introduction of alternative livelihood and income generation activities through proper use of locally available natural resources and market potentials.

2. To sensitize the community people about the ill-effect of unsustainable use of natural resources through different awareness raising programmes and encourage them for sustainable watershed management practices

3. To strengthen the institutional capacity of users’ groups and local organizations for long term management of watershed in a sustainable way.

Major Activities

Followings are the broad categories of the activities envisioned by the project. The specific activities will be identified together with community people during project implementation.

1. Introduce different income generation activities based and availability of local natural resources and market potential.

2. Increase skill and capacity of community people in different production practices and natural resource management interventions through orientation, social mobilization, training and exposure visits

3. Link farmers’ produce to the market so as to provide adequate benefit from the ecologically produced products.

4. Organize different awareness raising activities such as fairs, folk songs, and poem and broadcast the specific information from FM radios, TV etc to raise the awareness of community people on sustainable watershed management.

5. Improve and strengthen institutional capacity of local organizations such as users’ group, CBOs, mothers’ groups and youth clubs in the area of institutional governance and management of community development activities.

6. Facilitate those local organizations to identify, design, plan and implement watershed management plan so that watershed management becomes sustainable even after the project phase out.

SADP-Nepal has initiated to establish the following Organic and Eco farms & organic outlets

Baral Organic Farm House:  Pumdi Bhumdi VDC -  , Kaski

Location:

This farm is situated in a beautiful location in South-West of Pokhara from where it can be seen Annapurna Mountain Range and Fewa Lake in one view.This farm can be reached by bus ride and boat on Fewa Lake. The Farm House has    acre of land and this farm is recently established and following activities are happening.

Mr. Deuraj Baral is the young farmer who has been looking entire management of the farm.

Activities:

• Organic Garden ( Different Vegetable, Vermicompost, Livestock etc)
• Different Crop Farming,
• Awareness program

Baniya Eco Farm: Kyamin VDC – 2, Saldanda, Tanahun

This Eco Farm was established in 2007 which is located in a beautiful place in a hill of Kyamin VDC-2, Tanahun District. The altitude of farm is about 750 mt. above the sea level. It can be reached with one hour hiking from Kalesti Bazar main road head of the area. The farm owner is Mr. Pappu Baniya an energetic farmer. SADP- Nepal has initiated and promoted to establish this farm. From this farm it can be seen beautiful Mountain View and the Kalesti Valley along with Madi river basin as well as the sun set. The surrounding area of this farm is rich of diverse culture of different ethnic group. Especially Gurung, Magar Damai, Kami and other communities are residing in this location.

Organic goat rearing and vegetable productions are the main activities of this farm. Main goal of this farm is to promote organic agriculture and agro (eco) tourism in this locality. This farm is known as demonstration eco-farm in the area. Where, other farmers can learn and get more information about organic and eco-farm.

School Programs

SADP-Nepal and Local Schools have been agreed to bring organic agriculture through school. For the propagation of OA it is essential to bring it to school students in the context of the Nepal. Most of the students are from the families who have made agriculture as their occupation and depend upon it for their livings so they should know about importance of organic agriculture.

Mirlung Star Xavier’s English School

Mirlung Star Xavier’s English School, an English medium school situated in Mirlung– V.D.C. of Tanahun district which is serving people with not only good quality English medium education but also is supporting to promote the organic farming through the students of the school. It is providing quality education not only for the children of its ward but also children of other wards. It has most of all physical and educational material that a good school have. Not only these material but also the teachers teaching here are well behaved.

A child get to learn through its elder so we must be careful about their studies, the environment that is around them. The school is situated in the heart of Mirlung VDC-1, with natural environment in its surrounding. It has really good environment in its surrounding and students are able to get education in natural and fresh environment. They also participate in gardening and other activities of school. The school is trying to promote the organic agriculture through students as the students are from the families who depend upon agriculture for their living. It not only focused for the theoretical education but is also concerned with the environmental and agricultural knowledge. The surrounding is full of natural environment so students are capable to learn in familiar and natural environment.

The school concerned to the overall development of students so it is preparing a school garden and other agricultural products with the help of students also. It will help the students to learn about the organic agriculture and its benefits. When they get to learn about the benefits of organic farming then he himself will relay the message to his parents, to his society and to his community through which we can then make people aware of the situation about the negative impact of inorganic farming and benefits for organic farming. We’re now processing forward to make this school as environmental friendly school.

Marketing of Organic Food,

Only making farmers aware of implementing the organic farming is not enough. Farmers need a market to sell their products so that they gain good income through what they produce. So SADP Nepal not only support farmers to grow organic foods but also provides a space to sell their products in market. SADP has partnership with TOV in Kathmandu which sells the organic product and also has initiated to establish Fishtail Organic Garden Pvt. Ltd. at lakeside  in Pokhara.  The farmers then find the place to sell their products and further more encouraged to grow such crops.