After their village got selected for the Chief Minister’s Climate Friendly Model Village Agriculture Programme, the happiness of the villagers of Ghiring Rural Municipality-2, in Tanahu district, knows no bounds.
Bimala Ale, a local of the village, also seems elated these days. She believes that once the programme is implemented, it will be easier for her to switch from subsistence farming, in which she has been involved, to commercial farming, eventually helping her improve her family’s financial conditions.
Like Ale’s family, the programme has raised hopes among other 105 households of the remote village.
After the selection and allocation of the budget for it, the programme has already gained momentum. Ale, also the chairperson of the Ghiring Goat Breeding Group, said the locals have finally realised that the country has entered into federalism.
“Despite being a remote village, our village is selected for the programme,” Bimala Said “The economic condition of the villagers failed to improve because they are engaged in subsistence agriculture. But now the programme is poised to change that.”
The programme is being implemented in Ghyachap, Ghurlechhap, Deurali and Dumkot villages of the municipality under the leadership of the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture, Cooperatives, Poverty Alleviation Fund and financial and technical assistance of Gandaki Province and in partnership with the village’s Goat Breeding Group.
Talking about the programme, Agriculture Technician Luna Aryal said that the rationale behind the programme was to utilise local resources optimally for the sustainable development of the agricultural sector.
The programme came into being with an objective of reducing the risk of climate change in the agricultural sector, of ensuring food security and increasing the production, productivity and quality of the agricultural sector by using climate-friendly technology, good practices and methods, she added.
“It covers key aspects of climate adaptation techniques and practices, good agricultural practices, ecological farming, agro-tourism, local innovation, agricultural mechanisation, empowered community organisations, gender and social inclusion, capacity building and learning, market orientation and development,” Aryal elaborated.
The village has been selected on the recommendation of Agriculture Knowledge Center Tanahu and Veterinary Hospital and Veterinary Expert Center. Chief of the Center Kul Prasad Tiwari informed that Rs. 4 million had been allocated from the ministry and Rs. 600,000 from the farmers’ group and that the programme would run under 85 per cent partnership of the ministry and 15 per cent of the farmers.
According to the Ghiring Goat Breeding group, construction work of 40 goat pens had been started at the initial phase of the program. In addition to this, four Boer goats, medicines and hay needed for the goats have been distributed to the farmer to incentivise them. The Center will operate the programme for four years with the support of the Gandaki provincial government.
According to the Center, the required budget will be earmarked from the provincial government every year and the farmers’ group will also make the program effective and successful through investment, and by doing this they will increase their income.
The farmers from the bottom of the economic ladder of the area are expected to benefit immensely from the programme. The long-term goal of the programme is to increase production by making agribusiness competitive. The program will help in import substitution and export promotion, Tiwari said.
Source : TRN,
