FAO Nepal contributes to promotion of organic farming in Karnali Province
In line with the “Organic Karnali” vision of the Provincial Government, FAO Nepal is contributing to enhancing the livelihoods of local communities in Karnali Province by promoting organic farming, ensuring food security, promoting cash crops and increased incomes. The project "Strengthening capacity of public & private sectors on organic agriculture in Karnali" has established Farmer Field Schools (FFS) to support organic farming practices, sustainable cultivation, composting, using bio-fertilizers, harvesting and grading through provision of technical support to the farmers from Jumla, Mugu, Dailekh and Surkhet districts of Karnali Province.
Ken Shimizu, FAO Representative in Nepal visited the project site at Laligurans Farmers Field School (FFS) of Chingad Municipality in Surkhet and exchanged views with the farmers on issues related to agro production, knowledge enhancement, sustainable production, food security, income generation and other opportunities created through the Farmers Field School. He thanked the farmers group for the productive engagement, knowledge sharing, and for their hospitality.
Manmaya Acharya, Deputy Mayor of Chingad Rural Municipality thanked FAOR for his warm presence and interest to be with the community for better understanding of the challenges faced by farmer groups. She recalled the contribution of the project in changing the mindset and behavior of people towards organic farming. She committed to supporting the community in managing the irrigation facilities, providing the seedlings and scaling up businesses with the available resources from the Rural Municipality.
The farmers recognised the contribution of the project and requested for continued support to scale up organic farming production through enhanced knowledge, technology and market linkages. The project has trained farmers on the production of organic pesticides and better marketing of organic products and has also contributed to provincial policy formulation and implementation.