From farm labor to farm owner
DHANKAULI, KAPILVASTU - Meghnath Kewat, 45, is a hard working farmer of Dhankauli 8, Dharampur, Kapilvastu district of Nepal. He lives in a joint family of three brothers having 21 number of family members. The family had a small piece of land having an area of less than a hectare. They used to grow sweet potatoes, ground nuts, pulses, paddy and wheat. The income from the land was not enough to make a living for the family. All the three brothers had no other option than to work as labor farms owned by the rich people.
Kewat is serving his community as the chairperson of Shree Gautam Buddha IPM Farmers’ Group of Dhankauli, which was formed by an earlier FAO IPM project. He had already attended IPM training under FAO implemented IPM project UTF/NEP/059/NEP Phase-2. Subsequently, along with the group members, he also attended the recently concluded 16-week Farm Business School (FBS) conducted by FAO TCP project.
Kewat and the fellow farmers learnt techniques to investigate a wide range of topics related technical and management aspects that can reduce pesticide risks in agriculture ensuring food safety in the field based setting of the Refresher Farmers’ Facilitator TOT on GAP, which was conducted with Support of IPM and Pesticide Risk Reduction /Farmer Business School. FBS taught them the process of minimizing adverse effects on health and environment and promote communication on risk reduction and address business and marketing problems and opportunities. They followed possible practices to grow a healthy crop, conserve/promote natural enemies of crop pests and diseases, also the observed fields regularly.
Kewat became active learner and independent decision maker through the process of learning by doing. Kewat started increasing public participation in various social programs in his village. He is a role model for his group and whole village. The group members have learnt to prepare and use home-made organic liquid pesticides popularly known as Jholmal. Jholmal, a natural bio-fertilizer cum bio-pesticide is prepared using different plants of pesticide values, cow urine, dung etc. The bio-pesticide/fertilizer is used to manage pest in the field and as a fertilizer too. Jholmal incur low cost and have a high repulsive and nutrient quality. Pesticide ingredients include fresh leaves of locally available botanicals including Neem.
After the introduction of Jholmal, frequencies of using chemical pesticides have been reduced. The farmers are fully aware and maintaining waiting period after application of pesticides while harvesting and selling fresh vegetables. They gained the confidence to reduce pesticide applications after they understood the complexities of the agroecosystem. Farmers found that they had improved their management skills.
The farmers of Dhankauli are now using plant nutrients like compost and the Farm Yard Manure (FYM), which is prepared basically using cow dung, cow urine, waste straw and other farmyard wastes. They have learnt to grow safer crops. Their products include cauliflower, cabbage, radish, peas, beans, broccoli, carrot, broad leaf mustard and tomato.
Economic condition of Kewat’s family has been gradually improved. Meghnath’s income per annum from the vegetable farming is estimated to be NPR 800,000. With the saving from his income, he has bought a piece of land having an area of 2/3rd hectare, equivalent to what he owned before. His family now owns 1.5 hectare of land. They have become farm owners and they no more need to work as labor in the farms owned by the other people.
With the improved livelihood, the Kewat family is heading towards a better lifestyle. Out of 15 children of three brothers of the Kewats, 6 sons and a daughter are studying in 11 grade while 3 daughters are in 12 grade. 3 small daughters are admitted in the English medium private schools. After tasting the sweetness of the success through the hard work, Meghnath Kewat inspires the farmers to improve their livelihood. He says that if the farmers get opportunities and work hard in their own land, they will be able to fed their family and even add properties with increased income through vegetable farming and their children will have opportunity to go to better schools. He further added that it is not required to go for employment in the foreign labor market.