Pax Earth has been implementing Fruit Garden project in Kot Timal village in Namobuddha Municipality in Kavre since January 2020. The main objective of the project is to create sustainable fruit gardens at the household’s level and improve incomes and wellbeing of the farmers in the long run. Fruit can provide a good source of income and nutrition. Fruits can generate income from selling and can ensure the wellbeing of the farmers as they are enriched with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Pax Earth has been extending support for creating fruit gardens in Kot Timal village by distributing fruit saplings twice a year for the last 3 and half years.
On July 29, 2023, an 8-member Pax Earth team led by president Sujan Koirala along with joint secretary Jamuna Siwakoti Kachyapati, joint treasurer Bhagawati Pandey Thapaliya, members Debraj Ghimire, Dev Raj Karki, resource person horticulturist Ramhari Prasad Upadhyay, well-wishers Suyog Thapaliya and Prastab Ghimire travelled to Kot Timal with 175 grafted lemon saplings.
The farmers had already fixed a place for plantation by digging a pit of 2.5ft by 2.5ft size at the farmland of farmer Uttam Bahadur Badal. He arranged compost manure, ash, mud, and water. Two junior participants from Pax Earth team – Prastab Ghimire and Suyog Thapaliya planted a lemon sapling making the proper layers of ash, compost manure and mud. After the plantation, the team watered and mulched the plant with the leaves and grasses.
After the plantation, the Pax team distributed 175 lemon saplings to 18 farmers ranging between 1 and 32. We distributed 32 saplings of lemon to Narayan Prasad Pandey, 21 saplings to Dev Raj (Umesh) Khakurel, 20 saplings each to Lal Dhwoj Tamang, and Gopal Bhandari, 15 saplings to Lal Man Tamang, 10 saplings each to Ningmar Tamang, Thulokanchha Bhandari, Indra Raj Bhandari, Saraswati Koirala, 5 saplings each of lemon to Uttam Bahadur Badal, Babu Ram Koirala, Bishnu Raj Bhandari, and Bhim Bahadur Tamang, 2 saplings each to Ram Bahadur Koirala, Pramod Koirala, and Sudarshan Bhurtel, and 1 sapling to Jaya Devi Koirala.
The farmers are quite motivated to plant the lemon saplings because they have a good market potential. The grafted lemon saplings will start to yield fruits in 2 to 3 years. Once these plants yield fruits in large quantities, the farmers can sell and generate incomes. Hence, the lemon farming can provide a good source of income for the farmers in future.
The beauty of the project is the contribution of the farmers. They are not only caring and protecting these fruit plants throughout the year but also contributing the cost of the fruit saplings. They contributed 50 percent of the cost for 139 saplings. We provided 50 percent subsidy for 139 saplings and 100 percent subsidy for 36 saplings for a few high performing farmers.
Besides improving the livelihoods of the farmers, the project aims at improving health and nutrition, promoting greenery and minimising youth migration. Hence, the farmers are highly motivated in fruit farming after the initiation of the fruit garden project in Kavre. Their active participation and contribution in the implementation of the project will sustain the project in the long run.
Reported by PEN Secretariat!
