From Nepal: Off-Road Agriculture

Tomato greenhouses in village agriculture fields

Life is unreliable in Nepal. Roads are either in poor condition or don’t exist at all, electricity shuts off for several hours every day due to load shedding, and labor strikes or protests can shut down transit for an entire day. This makes activities hard to plan.

I recently arrived in Nepal for the first time to work on a seed saving project with Professor Kent Bradford’s partner organizations, the Center for Environmental and Agricultural Policy Research, Extension, and Development (CEAPRED) and International Development Enterprises (iDE).

My first field visit with CEAPRED was planned the night before and day of our departure. I came with a bag packed, not knowing if we would stay the night or where I would sleep if we did.

Village goats and cattle

When we drove out of Kathmandu and into the nearby Kavre district, it became clear that we would not reach our demonstration site. After 1.5 hours of driving on dirt roads, the monsoon rains had washed out the roads too much to continue. Instead, we turned around and visited a village greenhouse where a CEAPRED extension agent, Ram Dev Shah, was cross-pollinating tomato plants for a hybrid variety. There are very few hybrids in Nepal, so this village experiment was unique.

We paused to peel peaches from a nearby tree and drink Himalayan tea (sweetened black tea with milk), and I was told we would be staying at a nearby lodge as the monsoon season makes it too difficult to stay in the villages. We would return early tomorrow to lead a workshop for farmers on a new seed saving technology. Before heading to sleep that night, I was told we would need to be ready by 5:30am in order to reach the village before a scheduled strike blocked all traffic.

Farmer workshop in Kavre village schoolroom,
standing: Ram Dev Shah (CEAPRED) 

We arrived at the village by 8am, led an introductory workshop for 1.5 hours, then the farmers went back to planting their rice paddies. Having 40 farmers set aside 1.5 hours during the planting season was generous. The cooperative requested more intensive trainings for 3-4 farmers and commented that they were happy with their improved germination rates thus far.

We were trapped by the strike, so the rest of the day was spent enjoying a homemade Nepali meal at Ram Dev Shah’s home (Nepali long beans in a vegetable curry, squash greens, delicious homemade dal, and fresh daikon radish from the garden). People told animated stories and sang Nepali songs to pass the time. Then, exactly at 5pm, strikers cleared out from their posts and we were allowed to continue on our way back to Kathmandu.



From left to right, Rita Rai (iDE), Suchita Upreti (CEAPRED),
Karina Lundahl (UC Davis), Keshav Pandey (CEAPRED),
Dipendra Rai (CEAPRED), Laxmi Khadka (CEAPRED)

Returning, I began to understand why Nepalis are so relaxed. The best outcome of constant uncertainty is patience and flexibility.

Karina Lundahl, graduate student, International Agricultural Development, UC Davis