Meet, lead farmer, Ka Bahadur Magar, sharing role of Caritas for improving farmers life through IPM trainings and homestay support.
In 2017, every day I walked for 2 hours to attend IPM training. I got the opportunity to attend IPM training run by Caritas Nepal. I learnt about cash crop-Tomato. I was very curious and requested Caritas to come to my village and provide IPM training on rice. After Rice IPM, to help other farmers we conducted IPM training in few places in our village where we included the Dalits (Untouchable Group). Before I used to work in furniture making, but left it and involved in farming. Now, I am doing farming in 5 ropanies of land. I earn 30-50 thousands profit depending upon the season. This motivated me. In this place, I am the first one to encourage farming and tell them we have to do vegetables farming. Before, there was no such thing as vegetables in this place. We used to eat tomatoes from India and Pokhara (another city) but now we not only eat but sell the remaining to other districts. That’s why with thinking of doing vegetables Caritas has inspired me, given me confidence to talk, to work better, built my capacity and to serve the society. All thanks to Caritas Nepal and wherever I go I always take Caritas’ name and because of which I have become social, speak up in front of people that is why I encourage farmers like me to contact with Caritas.
Till now, 3457 guests visited the Machhapuchhre Homestay and farmers were able to earn NPR. 3,290,000.
In 2017, Caritas Nepal initiated a Homestay project in Kaski, which has now been extended to three different locations to strengthen farmer’s income generation opportunities and to promote IPM practices more widely.
