A story of Kishori Transformative Journey
Kishori Mahato, a 51-year-old farmer from Ishworpur Municipality in Nepal, had been struggling to provide for his family of five, which included his elderly mother-in-law, wife, son, and daughter-in-law. Despite having 4 katha of land, Kishori had been experiencing losses due to low agricultural production and high input costs. His family suffered from various health problems due to the use of chemical fertilizers, which further added to their financial burden.
Luckily, Kishori was introduced to the BRC project, which was funded by Islamic Relief USA and implemented by Bagmati Welfare Society Nepal. He became a member of Krishi Bikash Samuh and received training on organic vegetable farming, input material support, and exposure visits to farm machinery and equipment centers. With the help of the project, Kishori learned how to prepare organic fertilizers, liquid fertilizers, biofertilizers, and biopesticides.
Kishori started practicing organic vegetable farming and fully replaced the use of chemical fertilizers. He used mulching practices and raised seedlings inside his house, which resulted in good production despite the cold weather. Kishori and his wife achieved success in their farming efforts and their family's health improved due to the consumption of organic vegetables. The taste of their produce was also better, and their market value was higher than others.
Kishori's success in organic farming encouraged other farmers to visit his plot and learn the techniques he practiced. He taught them to utilize locally available resources, such as ashuro, shirish, and papaya leaf, to prepare liquid fertilizers and apply them. This practice encouraged many farmers to start organic vegetable farming, leading to an increase in investment in the sector.