News | ISARD | Integrated Self-help Association for Rural Development

Transforming Agriculture for a Prosperous and Resilient Sailung

December 6, 2024

The Integrated Self-help Association for Rural Development (ISARD), in partnership with Ton Memorial School Sailung, has been actively working in Sailung Rural Municipality, 08- Managaun in Dolakha District, on an Agriculture Development Project in Sailung. With a vision for sustainable progress, this multi-year initiative aims to modernize agriculture, improve food security, enhance financial literacy, and address water needs for irrigation and drinking purposes.

Key Objectives of the Collaboration

Agriculture Development
- Modernizing traditional farming practices.
- Promoting crop diversification to enhance income and nutrition.
- Introducing greenhouse technology (plastic tunnels) for year-round cultivation of vegetables.
Micro-Credit Education and Financial Literacy
- Forming farmer cooperatives for savings and investment.
- Conducting financial literacy programs to empower the local community.
Water Projects for Drinking and Irrigation
- Collaborating with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Germany for water resource surveys.
- Ensuring sustainable water access for 200 households.

Achievements in the First Year

Formation of cooperative farmer groups to foster community-driven growth.
Construction of plastic tunnels and training farmers in greenhouse vegetable cultivation.
Conducting a water project survey in collaboration with EWB Germany.
Ensuring food security for 200 households.
Introducing diversified crop cultivation to boost household income.

Why Agriculture Transformation in Sailung?

Agriculture forms the backbone of Sailung’s economy, but traditional practices and limited crop varieties have resulted in low yields and one-sided nutrition. This collaboration is driven by the shared belief that sustainable agriculture forms the basis for a thriving community. By modernizing farming techniques, introducing sustainable practices, and empowering farmers, the project aims to create a resilient agricultural system that reduces dependency on external support.

The AgricoSH Program: Sustainable Agriculture Transformation in Sailung

This joint initiative, named the Sustainable Agriculture Transformation Shailung (SATSh) program, seeks to empower 200 families with modern agricultural techniques. Guided by ISARD’s expertise in rural development, the program aligns closely with circular agriculture principles, focusing on:

Enhanced soil health through organic composting and fertilization.
Increased crop areas with mechanization and greenhouse technologies.
Reduced reliance on chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

Vision for 2025-2026

The SATSh program focuses on scaling up initiatives to ensure long-term sustainability and community empowerment. With a budget of €90,500, the program aims to expand greenhouse farming for year-round vegetable production, introduce advanced agricultural tools and mechanization to enhance productivity, and strengthen water systems for both irrigation and drinking purposes. Comprehensive training programs will continue to equip farmers with sustainable farming techniques and financial management skills. These efforts are designed to improve agricultural outcomes, increase household incomes, and foster resilience, laying the foundation for the sustainable development of the Sailung community.

Photograph 1: Agriculture field in Sailung

Photograph 2: Plastic tunnel

Photograph 3: Distribution of Mini-tillers as the part of agriculture mechanization

Photograph 4: Water survey by EWB Germany

Photograph 5: Mushroom Cultivation as a part of crops diversification

Photograph 6: Group formation and Financial literacy training

Photograph 7: Distribution of inputs for organic compost

Partnership with Carismo e.v Germany

February 19, 2021

ISARD partners Carisimo e.v Germany to help improve the livelihood of the Thami Community in Sindhupalchwok. We work with women’s groups from Chokati and Ghorthali through training programs, agriculture input support and microcredit. Our aim is to improve farming habits, diversity crop from staple to cash crop and increase the income of each individual household. In order to achieve that we build irrigation schemes, collection centers. Each village has their own Agriculture based trainers(JTA) working rigorously with the farmers throughout the year. The regular involvement encourages farmers towards cash crops and helps farmers to understand crops and its challenges.

The trained farmers are encouraged in upscaling agriculture. The finances for upscaling is guaranteed by revolving/microcredit funds from the cooperative, saving groups and ISARD.

Other than the agriculture work ISARD and Carisimo e.v is working to build and manage primary schools in our region. By involving Local government community and Volunteers we have built two primary schools in the past. In 2021 we are building one primary school in Tungathlai.

Tashi Delek foundation

February 8, 2021

ISARD is working together with Stichting Tashi Delek Foundation Netherlands in Solukhumbu to improve agriculture skills of the farmers. In 2021, ISARD will try to replicate our successful agriculture interventions and community working modality of Sindhupalchwok projects in Solukhumbu. We will be working in Tingla Rural Municipality in four groups. 9 agriculture trainings will be provided to the agriculture students and community members. While doing so we will also help setup a local NGO and plan for a longer term project in the region.

Liberating Women: One Mini-Tiller at a Time

April 26, 2017

Agriculture is the main livelihood of most families in Sindhupalchowk, despite the many challenges. The hilly region means all the farmlands are terraced, making agriculture practice difficult, and one that yields comparatively little. Plowing these terraced lands by traditional means of oxen is possible but not cost-effective and physically challenging. Not everyone in the village owns an ox and when hired they can cost to up to Rs. 1,500 per day.

A mini-tiller is a blessing to all farmers. It is portable, user-friendly, and apt for terrace farm lands. Under ACT – II NPL-161 project’s “Mini-tillers support for land tilling” activity, ISARD facilitated the distribution of three mini-tillers to three farmers group. The farmers group is responsible for the maintenance of the tiller, who uses it, and for how much. The money is saved, available for when the tiller needs its regular maintenance, fuel or when they need to buy another tiller.

Kalpana Tamang, 23 years old.

For Kalpana Tamang, a young mother, the tiller is a means to self-dependency and empowerment. With her husband on abroad employment in Malaysia for the past 2.5 years, Tamang is solely responsible to take care of her household, her 2 year old daughter, and 6 ropanis land. Via Patle Krishak Samuha (Farmers’ Group) in Patle, Dhuskun – 5, she recently had access to using a mini-tiller.

In a country where plowing the field is considered a man’s job, Tamang would never have previously thought of literally taking things into her own hands. Usually, she would hire external help and a pair of oxen to plow the land. It would take 4 days to get the land ready, and would cost her Rs. 6,000 in total. A mini-tiller means Tamang is breaking an age old taboo in her field. And while she is empowered, she is also saving time and money. With access to a mini-tiller she can plow the field in almost half the time and in less than half the money.

The Women Who Brought Water

April 13, 2017

Dhuskun – 4 and 8 in Sindhupalchowk, has 150 households who have always been struggling with irrigation water. But the situation worsened recently with small water sources in the vicinity drying up. Now entirely dependent on rain water for irrigation, an agriculture-based livelihood was looking difficult for the farming community. With most men members of the community working away from home, it came upon the women to be responsible for a solution, for their own welfare. A woman in these villages has to collect and carry the family’s water, take care of the children, the elderly, the livestock, and the farmlands. An accessible irrigation scheme for their farmlands meant, women not only have one less thing to worry about; it also meant they have time for progressive opportunities such as literacy trainings, saving group meetings, and more.

For the women of Dhuskun, a plausible solution for the lack of irrigation water turned out to be a river by the name Sukdal some 4kms away. In support of ISARD, a construction committee was formed with Janajagaran Mahila Samuha, a local women’s group, at its core. Women leadership and participation played a key role in the construction process. From digging trenches to building ponds and laying pipe work, every household contributed 15 days of free labor. It took two days for the water from Sukdal to travel to the last village – Phaparchaur, but it did and in abundance. For three communities that have for so long struggled with water, it is joyous to have easy access to it, but it is all the more important that the water is saved and well-utilized. Further plans in the construction of Sukdal Khola irrigation includes construction of Thai Jars or Ferro Cement tanks and installation of drip irrigation to encourage commercial vegetable farming in near future.

Kitchen Garden Training

August 10, 2016

As a continuation of the Kitchen Garden Training program under ICFON’s project, another two groups, Nimna Jagaran Samuha and Thami Utthan Samuha, were provided 2-days training in Dhuskun – 8, Sallekepa. The training led by ISARD’s Agriculture Officer Krishna Prasad Sharma, and social mobiliser Rajendra Kumar Bhandari saw participation of 37 locals who are primarily involved in agriculture.

The training is targeted to enable and encourage households to produce their own vegetables to not only feed their own families, but to also educate them of the possibilities of using it as an income source. The participants were also provided with seeds of various vegetables.

Off farm vegetables cultivation of plastic tunnel

August 8, 2016

First time Mrs. Sunita Thami Dhuskun-8, Salle, has two plastics tunnel with tomatoes. And the JTA of ISARD follow up and advice for the good work and to give ideas for cultivation. Now tomatoes are ready to sell, She is happy with her first work.

Livelihood Improvement through Agriculture Development Activites

August 7, 2016

Under ICFON’s ‘Livelihood Improvement through Agriculture Development Activites’ project, 12 farmers were chosen to be supported with drip irrigation in their farm. Among them ISARD has managed to successfully install the technology in four of the farmers’ plastic tunnels. Bhakta Bahadur Thami of Dhuskun – 4, Bir Bahadur Shrestha of Dhuskun – 9, Ganesh Lama of Dhuskun – 5, and Padam Bahadur Thami of Dhuskun – 8 were provided 100 liters’ drum each that were fitted with pipes. While the initial estimation allocated a budget of Rs. 10,000 for each farmer, the installation was cheaper, at Rs. 4,200 each. Considering this, ISARD has decided to increase the number of the benefiting farmers under this program. The same technology has also been installed in the demonstration farm of ISARD. The full potential of the drip irrigation system however has yet to be tested since irrigation as of the moment is not a problem because of the monsoon. Its true utilization and benefits will only be seen during the dryer/winter season.

Installation of the system in the remaining farms will continue post monsoon.

Fodder Cultivation

July 27, 2016

ISARD kicked off distribution of fodder saplings for fodder cultivation under ICFON’s project ‘Livelihood Improvement through Agriculture Development Activites’ on 25th July. Kamal Khadka of Sunkoshi, Dhuskun – 9 was the first of primary stakeholders to receive the saplings under this program. He received 2000 Amriso fodder saplings, and plantation started shortly after.

ISARD has allocated 200 locals from Dhuskun and Ghorthali to receive fodder saplings and start cultivation. Fodder cultivation is beneficial in terms of livestock farming, given that it provides more appropriate feed option for livestock. It also controls soil erosion. As for the Amriso kind of fodder choice, the plant can also be used to make brooms, allowing farmers another employment/income opportunity.

Warmth for Winter

December 14, 2015

We are collecting WARM, CLEAN, WEARABLE clothes for the locals of Sindhupalchowk. This winter is going to be colder than ever for the earthquake victims there. There are no proper shelter to sheild them from the cold, and not enough clothes or beddings either. Find it in your heart (and in your closet) to donate some decent clothes for winter that are probably out of style or too small for you. We are waiting; they are waiting.

Our Collection Points:
Swotha Kiosk Shop, Swotha, Patan – Contact no.
Jatra Café and Bar, Thamel – Contact no. 4256622/ 9851047874 (Alok)
ISARD Office, Buddhanagar, Baneshwor (opposite Karobar office) Contact no. 9849860806/ pravashtha2015@gmail.com (Prabha Shrestha)