In rural Nepal, remote villages are losing ancestral agricultural methods, including the cultivation of native seeds. As a result, they are facing greater food insecurity and lower overall well-being in the community.
Our Kitchen Garden program in Nepal is teaching villagers to grow organic food using traditional techniques and seeds specific to their region. Through a series of training sessions, participants learn invaluable traditional skills such as how to select and preserve the best seeds, and ancient composting and non-chemical fertilization techniques to enhance self-reliance and sustainability.
After learning gardening methods, participants plant a small patch of land. Women take the lead in managing and safeguarding these green spaces, and collaborate to provide sustenance for their children. When they have mastered these techniques and can grow enough to feed themselves and their families, they can start increasing their cultivation and eventually sell their organic products to earn extra income.
Dhan Kumari was one of the participants in our training program.
“My house is small,” she says, “but my family is big. I have a mother-in-law, a husband, four sons, and a daughter. I work hard to ensure everyone is well fed.”
Dhan Kumari says the training opened her eyes to the importance of growing a variety of vegetables using traditional methods. “I learned so many new things. They are actually very simple and practical things we can do in our home gardens.”
There is variety in the food Dhan Kumari’s family eats now. They are able to consume more vegetables, making their diets more nutritious.
“In the future,” Dhan Kumari says,“I want to make more land available for locally grown vegetables, so my family can eat all home-grown food. I also want to help other villagers start and enjoy more home-grown vegetables. Already, villagers are viewing my progress with envy.”
Our Kitchen Garden initiative is preventing the loss of traditional wisdom and improving the well-being of villagers. We are elevating food security by helping people grow a variety of vegetables in nutrient-rich soil, reintroducing the cultivation of traditional vegetables, and increasing access to more nutritious food.
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