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Women leading mechanization hire services: An inspiring story from Chiti village, Nepal

Year of publication 2023

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 2p.

Author Flores Rojas, M.; Tiwari, G.; Pothan, P.E.;

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet

Synopsis (short abstract) Nepal, a landlocked country known for its mountain peaks including Mount Everest — the world’s tallest peak, is home to Chiti village. Most households of Chiti village rely on agriculture and wage labour for their livelihoods. Rice, maize and wheat are the main staple crops. Farmers from the village would walk for more than two hours several times during the harvest seasons to process their grains at the nearest mill centre. To address this problem, 27 women formed the so-called mother’s group in 2015, with a simple yet powerful objective: to establish a mill and provide hire mechanization services to their community. Seven years later, the mill is still running and providing mechanization services to the community with an average net annual profit of about USD 1000. The group recovered the initial investment only three years after its creation. “The purpose behind establishing the mill was to provide services to the community rather than for business purposes” explained Ms Tiwari. The group either saves the profit from the mill or uses it for social development activities within the community. As an example, the group donated a portion of the profit to the community’s public school. This story of determined women in rural communities hopes to inspire others to collaborate, work together to solve their problems and be empowered.

Language English

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