Recently, Juliana,
the International Citizen Service, Project Co-ordinator has been in contact and asked that I deliver a
couple of training programmes in rural west Lamjung. ICS is the mechanism by which VSO assist in
delivering a short term volunteer programme for young people from Nepal and the
UK. Rural community based, these volunteers facilitate development activities
that respond to the needs of that community. After a chat with BJ, a young
Nepali volunteer, I discover that organic veg. production, composting, and
livestock farming are the main training topics. So with only a few days
preparation time I get cracking.
Women
farmers will probably make up the majority of the trainees so thinking out of
the box, I visit my local metal workshop, and ask them to fashion a few hand
tools that are commonplace in the UK but don’t seem to exist here. Why try to
introduce the idea of a Dutch hoe, simple tined cultivator, and short handled
fork, I hear you ask? Here all of the hand tools used in the fields have short
handles and require the user to adopt a crouched or squatting position. Before
coming to Nepal I was under the illusion that squatting was a very healthy
option. A short talk at our Annual Volunteer Conference by a very experienced
Nepali doctor changed this opinion. We discovered that uterine prolapse is a
big problem here, the causes of which are various, but squatting for long
periods is seen as contributory factor.
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| The training will mean a week away from home. |
A couple of
days later, after some drawings (I always knew that my ‘O Level’ in Tec.
Drawing would come in useful one day), bending and re-bending of metal, and a
few butt welds, I’m clutching a sack of tools and setting out on the three hour
walk to my first training workshop in Samibhajyang, 1500m up in the Nepali
foothills. I arrive at our rendezvous point outside the local school high on
the skyline, and am immediately invited by a local man who proudly shows me his
crop of organic cabbage. News of the training must have travelled fast.
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| Samibhanyjang, Lamjung, an isolated hillside settlement. |
Later
I’m met by Daniel, an ICS volunteer who back in the East End of London is a
youth worker. Together we return to his community homestay where I shall spend
the next few nights.
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| My accommodation, a local home stay. |
A local school is having an anniversary so it’s off to pay
a visit, see an inter school dancing competition and, take part in a tug-of-war!
Alasdair, my Young Farmer son, will not be surprised to hear that our team
comprising a few local teachers and an old foreigner, did not progress beyond
the first round.
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| Pupils perform a Gurung dance in an inter school dancing competition |
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| Keeping his head below the smoke, BJ helps with the cooking. |
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| Mam serves the daal bhat. |
Having eaten
daal bhat for evening meal and breakfast, interspersed with a surprisingly good
night’s sleep laid on a thin straw mat which covered a wooden bench, we arrive
at the training venue. The outdoor location, close to cultivated land is ideal
for the interactive style I’ve chosen. The couple of hours before people turn
up give me chance to put the training into context. The hilltop site has good
mineral soils, but they are dry and the common crop of millet rather than rice
reveals how marginal things are.
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| The Nutrient Cycle assisted by BJ ...................and the tree. |
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| Soils are at the heart of organic farming, so we have a look at theirs. |
Training
through an interpreter takes a bit of handling, but BJ does a fantastic job. He is full of ideas and has
been the main driver behind requesting the training and inviting the 43 locals
who attend over the couple of days. He is able to expand upon the health issues
of squatting, having a Public Health background and to my surprise the tools also
go down a treat.
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| A farmer demonstrates the local hand tools |
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Bal Kumar gives our tools a a try and demonstrates there advantages. No squatting, working backwards to minimize
treading, a wide work area and quicker work rates. |
Right at the
back of the group of trainees is a rather tall guy, wearing a red tee-shirt and
I’m not sure if his persistent questioning is a good sign. It’s not until we
get to the composting that he finally breaks ranks and ends up on the heap of
manure next to me. This could be a tough moment coming up but to my great
relief, Bal Kumar’s words, full of passion and knowledge, come from a man who
is deeply interested in all of organics and has a very successful tomato
growing business further down the next valley. Throughout the training he backs
up my key points, enthusiastically demonstrates the tools and engages us all
with his practical experience. Finding a ‘Local Champion' who will remain when
I am gone is a key to sustainable development.
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| Bal Kumar's interjections are welcome as we discuss composting. |
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| Our 'Champion' summarises the day, with passion! |
The training
complete for the day, two smallholders are keen that we should visit them to offer advice.
Together we go through the now ritual digging of soil and studying of crops.
Without exception these farmers have livestock, but looking at their soils they
are short of organic matter and look pretty dry. The continuous cycle of millet
followed by maize has taken its toll on soil health. The advice is easy and
reflects course content.
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| A tomato crop with problems |
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| This family ask for help with their kitchen garden |
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| They belong to a cast that can rear pigs. |
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| A good heap of compost, it just needs more moisture. |
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| Sunrise from Samibhanjyang |
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| Farewells and off on the trek to Rambajar |
The site of
the second training, Rambajar, is very different and lies in the valley floor.
Not much sign of millet here. The flat paddies are easily flooded and two crops
of rice per year are grown. Our classroom is again outside for much of the time
but we gathered under the shade of a shed next to a six hundred year old Hindu
temple, to start and end the day.
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| The dry sandy soils of the flood plain are easily compacted as this crop of mustard shows |
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| In a patch of cauliflower, with the temple behind. |
There is a
huge tree close by. Under the shade of its boughs we discuss the nutrient cycle
and dig up a clod to examine the humus rich healthy soil. Taking this clod to a
nearby rice paddy it is easy to demonstrate that the soils they grow rice in
are very different. The continuous cycle of flooding, ploughing, hand planting
and weeding have caused these sandy soils to lose all structure, and the
profile is dense and very low in organic matter. But the interactive style is
working well, and we move on to a local farmers dung heap to discuss composting,
and the need to increase the size of pile by including any material that would
decompose from maize leaves and stalks to paper. Keeping the heap moist will
always be a problem here but collecting the cow’s urine and waste household
water are an option. Covering will prevent moisture loss during the dry season
and leaching during the monsoon. The fork I had brought along is met with great
interest and later a local blacksmith turns up to copy the pattern.
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In Rambajar, many more women attended the course.
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Again we
were lucky to have a local organic grower attending whom we persuaded to talk
about her system and offer tips for success. Another ‘Champion’ in the making!
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| Maina proudly showing off her compost system, plenty of moisture and turning to aerate |
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| She also grows and cuts grass for her two cows, all organic. |
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| Her sister in a lovely crop of cauliflower. |
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| Dry, fallow terraces wait for the monsoon rains. |
Returning
home along the rough mountainous track, I looked out of the bus window at the
many fallow terraces that in a few months’ time will be flooded and growing
important crops of rice. Training had been delivered to over ninety people during
the four days. Both they and ICS were pleased but maybe the person who had
learnt the most is me. Throughout the world levels of organic matter in soils
are in decline. Climate change, here in
Nepal is having an impact, one of which is longer periods without rain. Food
production is founded on maintaining a healthy soil that can provide for the
crops that grow in it. Small holders here have aspirations to grow crops to sell,
but their first priority must be to feed themselves. Finding enough organic
matter in these dry months and achieving an effective decomposition is not
easy. There are livestock which will provide much needed nitrogen source -
urine and dung. Amongst the many challenges will be finding enough people to
carry out any next tasks, no matter how essential they may seem. Many of the
local youth are working abroad and the women and older men are left behind to
do the farming. Perhaps the quicker work rates from using the new style tillage
tools we have demonstrated will give a little extra time to do the composting work. Even the
making and selling of these tools may prevent some young people from
needing to look abroad for jobs. However,
the reward for increasing soil organic matter will be healthier soils and
better crops but the hidden benefit will be developing a measure of climate change
resilience.
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| Machhapuchhre and Annapurna 3 from Samibhanjyang |
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| The evening draws in over the same Himalaya |
