Prior to RAP’s intervention in Terhathum, Simle VDC was yet to see development in many areas including vegetable & cash crop farming to animal husbandry despite being closer to the district headquarters. Due to lower awareness level, lack of training in income generating activities and unavailability of an appropriate resource person, Simle VDC people were more or less dependent on traditional type of age-old farming of radish and green leaf vegetable (rayo) and possibilities of off-season vegetable farming and improved seeds were out of their minds.

An overseas returned Mr Ganga Tamang of the same VDC ward No. 9 being unable to earn a good living for himself thought of trying new improved methods of agriculture and thus started out vegetable farming in his 2 ropanis of land out of 20 ropanis. Being unskilled and lacking technical knowledge, he failed but still gave continuity to his work. Meanwhile, RAP chose him as a local resource person and trained him on and off-season vegetable farming for 5 days. Post training he returned to his village and started a nursery producing seedlings for vegetables like cauliflower, peas, onion, cabbage and Akhabare chilli.

Mr Tamang sold the seedlings to the RBG members and also imparted income-generating training to them. He has been engaged in the vegetable farming since RAP1 and following his footsteps others too have started vegetable farming. With the onset of RAP2, he is more focussed on his business and has profited NRs 16,700 from his vegetable produce only. Had he instead grown other crops like maize, mustard, barley he would hardly have pocketed NRs 3,000. That means he has been able to earn 5 times better from vegetable farming rather than from other crops.

So far 200 out of 225 members of RBGs in Simle VDC have taken fresh vegetable & cash crop training. Mr Tika Bhattarai of ward No. 1 has profited NRs 100,000 from akhabare chilli production since RAP2 started in early 2009. Likewise, Ms Jhoomadevi of ward No. 5 has earned NRs 27,000, whereas Mr Bal Bahadur B.K. has earned NRs 3,000 from the same production. So there has been an income of NRs 154,000 from the vegetable & cash crop production.

As of other crops, ginger farming was very nominal in Simle VDC before. An effort made to change the traditional practice of ginger farming succeeded to initiate for group farming comprising 15 persons RBG members in Simle. Half of the total 105 RBG members trained from RAP have even utilised the group saving amount to buy ginger rhizomes to initiate ginger farming. The RBG Sahajkarta, Mr Kumar Rijal has provided his land to 15 members of Pathibhara RBG free on lease for group farming. The produce will then be distributed among themselves, which they would again go for ginger farming in their own lands. Every member engaged in ginger farming are encouraged from their earning and is expected to expand further in days to come.

 

Now there has been an infrastructure for ginger farming after the training. The RBG Sahajkarta Mr Rijal acknowledges the contribution of RAP for providing suitable training on ginger farming.