Our latest update from ASHA expands on their work written in previous updates. We are happy to report that there are now 5 women’s groups being helped with your support. They hold monthly meetings to discuss issues of money management and other important issues pertaining to health, social matters, and group concerns.

ASHA staff provides valuable assistance in helping groups to organize and moderate the meetings. The staff has also provides ongoing technical assistance in addition to monitoring the group’s activities (such as seed-saving, planting, preparation of manures, etc.) The groups have improved their collective knowledge and skills regarding conservation, utilization, storage, and management of the seeds. Their capacity for group management and teamwork has been nothing short of impressive. And in a true democratic spirit, the groups have also reformed as part of a yearly process to provide leadership opportunities for all participants.

The monthly collection from group members for the group savings fund, which takes place during the meetings, has continued to be successful tool for savings. One group recently decided to construct a community center that would work double-duty as a place for group meetings and as a collection center to store their produce. With their group’s saving fund, the group members were able to construct 2-room building. The women collected locally available materials such as stone sand, stone, wood, etc. ASHA assisted minimally by providing roofing materials.

With your support, these women’s groups have been able to carry out activities that have enhanced their knowledge and skills and empowered them economically. The women have also been empowered in other ways. As group members, they have reported that they are more valued in the community and their status has improved within the family. With their regular savings, they themselves can make decisions for buying clothes, food, children’s school fees, and other family necessities.

10 years ago, Lal Maya Tamang says, she could not have imagined her life today, as a respected elder stateswoman of a local women’s group. From her mud brick patio, she points out the view of her rainbow-colored vegetable plot where she grows leafy greens, squash, oranges, and corn.

And there on the hillside below her one-room thatched-roof cottage, she keeps her 4 goats. The first 2 were purchased with a loan she has repaid.

A group of 19 women, the Kurilo Women’s Society, sit on woven mats listening to Lal Maya speak about the importance of savings. Lal Maya proudly hands over her monthly savings to the group’s treasurer, her neighbor, who records the amount in a book: 50 Nepalese Rupees, around 75 cents. This is the average amount they save each month.

Lal Maya, 54, lives with her husband and their 9 year-old son in Nuwakot, an hour’s drive from Kathmandu. She and her husband moved here 10 years ago. Their job was to build retaining walls.

One day the contractor abandoned them owing them months of back pay. They were stranded. They settled by the side of the road, taking other meagerly paying jobs to survive.

But life for Lal Maya is no longer about mere survival. For the last 3 years, Lal Maya and the 19 women in the Kurilo Women’s Society have been providing each other with small loans to invest in income-generating activities.

Standard microfinance institutions usually exclude membership to women over 50, considering them not able-bodied enough. Her son, who was born with severe development delays, is completely dependent on her, as is her husband who was recently blinded by cataracts. Since the loan funds in Lal Maya’s group come completely from group members themselves, they set the rules; women like Lal Maya, who are the sole supporters of their families, are welcome to join.

The Kurilo Women’s Society also participated in ASHA’s sustainable agriculture training that includes free seeds and tree saplings to get members started. Their crop yields have been very good. They eat more nutritious food and sell the excess produce to a group of vendors who travel from Kathmandu. The women have also learned how to naturally preserve their own seeds, saving them costly treks to the city.

This year, the women pooled their money and purchased a plot of land. They requested, and received, a grant from the district council for a crop storage warehouse to facilitate wholesale marketing of their crops.

Lal Maya is longer dependent on an unscrupulous employer. She’s engaged in the community. She has an income, better food, and is better equipped to take care of her family. And with each passing month, she becomes an ever-savvier businesswoman. Lal Maya’s crops are thriving, and so is she.

Give to support groups like Lal Maya’s through March 27, 2009 and your donation will be matched. This year, 2 more groups are set to start their work.

Pictures:

• Lal Maya and her goats. (JPG)

An interesting project underway in Nepal is ASHA’s mushroom-growing initiative. Since mushrooms can be grown inside the home, mushroom-growing can be practiced by even landless farmers and older people who may not be physically able to grow other types of crops. After some small-scale farmers expressed interest in the project, ASHA organized a 3-day-long training in organic oyster mushroom production. 33 women farmers from 4 different groups participated in the training.

To sharpen farmers’ knowledge and understandings of mushroom farming, a day trip was organized to visit a mushroom farm in the nearby municipality of Banepa. All 33 women participated in the excursion where they had the opportunity to see mushroom farming in action and learn about different methods and techniques. The trip also provided a valuable opportunity for the participants to interact with the farmers and share their experiences. ASHA staff also advised the women on how to best market their products at the local market in Banepa.

ASHA also facilitated a 1-day training to 67 women members of 3 groups, including the mushroom farmers, on the importance of eating a balanced diet, especially for children and pregnant women, and the nutritional value of various crops and fruits. Mushrooms are a great crop for these small scale-scale farmers to grow because not only are they nutritious but they are profitable and relatively easy to grow.

ASHA recently sponsored a permaculture training for 28 lead farmers selected from 3 of the ASHA women groups. The training was facilitated by an expert on permaculture design, who followed findings from a feasibility study of permaculture principles in the Okarpauwa community. In addition to the formal training in Okharpauwa, the participants visited a model permaculture farm to sharpen their knowledge and understanding. Following the training, many women are practicing seed exchange, improving terrace, constructing run off channels, farmyard management (FYM), and other key permaculture principals.

Women from the ASHA-supported Kurilo Group inspired the formation of a new group!

Members of the Kurilo group traveled to the Padeni community in the Nuwakot district of Nepal to share their learning from ASHA trainings on group management, and, as a result, the women in Padeni decided to form their own group. With ASHA’s assistance, the Padeni Tamang Women’s Group is now up and running with 21 members, bringing the total number of ASHA-supported women to 91 in four groups.

As part of ASHA’s sustainable agriculture program they train women on how to make manure, collect animal urine, make herbal insecticides. They are given seeds and fruit saplings for their kitchen gardens. ASHA motivates them by sponsoring a vegetable exhibition twice a year at harvest time. The women bring their crops and a panel of judges (including ASHA staff and group leaders) decides which ones are the best. The winners from each group receive a prize (a trowel and watering can) and share their tips for good crop growing with the other women.

Many of the women were using pesticides and chemical fertilizers before joining the group. While it is true that they may have lower yields the first few years after switching to organics, the lower input costs make up for the lost income. Also, previously each woman had to travel to Kathmandu on her own to market her produce to an intermediary. Now, ASHA has helped find a vendor who comes to the village to buy the crops. By selling together, the women are able to get a better price than before, and they save the cost of travel to Kathmandu.

In January 2008 Yael Falicov, IDEX’s Director of Programs, met with the 70 members of three of ASHA women’s groups in Okarpauwa municipality, a hilly area about 45 minutes northwest of Kathmandu. This is her report from that meeting.

Most people here, like the majority of Nepalis, are subsistence farmers. Some had walked for two hours to come to the meeting.

They greeted us sitting in a circle on mats in the mud-baked patio of a woman's home. The women spoke at length about the improvements to their crop yields they have achieved with sustainable agriculture training provided by ASHA, and the links to the market they have made as a group. They can sell collectively in bulk more effectively than trying to sell the 5 or 10 pounds each one produces separately. And now, for the first time, a vendor comes up the road every week to collect the crops, where before they would have to trek to the city to sell at the market.

Some of the women brought out their seeds and showed me how they have learned to protect them from moths by using jars lined with local herbs and ash, whereas before they hung them in handkerchiefs which would get eaten by the moths. Through more effective seed saving, they keep funds previously used to travel to the city and buy seeds at the market. Similarly, they told me how they used to buy insecticides, even though they couldn't read the directions on the bottles. Now they know how to use herbal preparations to fight common pests, and they are happy that their children eat pesticide-free.

In addition to the agriculture activities, each group has started a small savings and loan fund. The women each give a put 75 cents a month into the fund. This money is used to provide loans to members to improve their income. Each group currently has a savings fund of $500 - $1000. This is entirely from their own earnings, so they owe no institution or moneylender. They use the fund to take out three-month loans to buy a goat, or pay school fees, or lease land. When I asked they said it hasn't been hard for them to both collect their savings quota and pay back their loans. They have learned to plan ahead, but if they fall short one month they might go work for a few hours as a wage laborer, or borrow the amount from a friend or two.

With support from ASHA professionals, the women went to the municipal office for the first time to present a proposal handwritten on their official community letterhead requesting support for the construction of the stall, which will double as their group meeting space and area to receive visitors. Thanks to this effort, the municipality has pledged 10,000 Rupees (about US$150) towards the construction.

Fruit cultivation training and support
ASHA is currently promoting food security by providing training in sustainable fruit cultivation. The women participating in this training live in an area that is favorable to the production of sub tropical fruits and thus, ASHA has developed a training program to encourage the production of fruits such as pomegranate, mandarin orange, sweet orange and lemon.

ASHA’s training consisted of bringing in knowledgeable farmers on fruit cultivation to share and exchange existing information, knowledge and skills to produce fruits in this area. In addition to the fruit cultivation training, ASHA provided fruit saplings to members of Jalukeni and Jaleshwori women groups. In total 44 women participated in this training.

Seed Saving Scheme
ASHA/Nepal, provides support to three women groups in Nuwakot, one of the remotest districts in Nepal. Since 2004 nearly 70 women, members of these 3 women groups and their family members have benefited from this project. The project focuses to strengthen the management capacity of these women, to empower them for their basic rights, and to uplift their living standards by establishing sustainable and regular income sources for their day-to-day basic needs.

The community members receive guidance and technical support on seed production, management and storage of major crops, i.e., vegetable crops and maize. The farmers produce and store the seeds in their own fields. In the course of production and storage of seeds, the group members are mobilizing the locally available resources. They use mud and straw structures for storage and botanical extracts are used to protect the seeds from pests and diseases. They have also developed a seed exchange within the community.

ASHA/Nepal is putting its focusing on conservation and the management of seeds of local crops. They ultimately want to minimize dependency on external seed varieties and encourage the women groups’ self-reliance on seeding material. This would mean women do not have to buy seeds every year, and by knowing the source of the seeds and how they perform, they can produce improved yields.

So AHSA are training community members and providing technical support on seed production, management and storage of crops. This encourages seed exchange within the community. In turn this will also ensure availability of quality planting materials for the next cropping season, minimize external dependency on seed sources, encourage seed exchange at the local level and make the community capable in conserving of crop cultivars.

The women group members managed the seeds of the following vegetable and cereal crops that suits the existing agro-ecological condition:
•   Cucumber
•   Pumpkin (two types)
•   Tomato
•   Okra
•   Bean
•   Bitter gourd
•   Cowpea
•   Swiss chard
•   Broad leaf mustard
•   Maize
•   Radish

“Sustainable agriculture training has increased our confidence”: Participants' perception on its importance

“Previously, we were absolutely ignorant with management of local resources in farming. Now, we can prepare manures and pesticides from our own local resources. It has made our agriculture more productive and saved the money. It has also saved our environment from degradation such as soil erosion, water and air pollution. Furthermore, it has increased our access to safe and healthy food as well as created a source for income generation.

All of the above-mentioned advantages were due to sustainable agriculture training and regular technical assistance of ASHA/Nepal team. Now, we have learned and adopted the sustainable agriculture practices and also suggest other farmers to adopt this. It has basically motivated us on mobilization of existing resources for agriculture purpose so that it can sustain in the community.” - Mrs. Sita Phuyal, Jaleshwori Women Group

Since February ASHA/Nepal has organized a one-day Sustainable Agriculture Refresher Training for 70 women. Agricultural experts, Mr. Alok Shrestha and Ram Sharan Shrestha, facilitated the training.

The sustainable agriculture training focused on its significance and practices that women can apply to assist in the improvement of their local livelihoods. The training reviewed and familiarized the participants on different approaches and practices of sustainable agriculture, encouraging women for proper utilization of existing local resources. The training also created awareness on the negative impacts of using conventional fertilizers and pesticides. The training gave an opportunity to the women to exchange information, knowledge and skills among each other.

Other themes that were taught in the training: soil and water management, moisture management techniques, soil organic matter and plan nutrient management techniques, sloping agriculture land technology, seed management, insect pest management and disease management.

Training was also carried out with field exercises so that the women could directly practice in their fields. In addition, ASHA’s consultants visited the community at least monthly to provide onsite coaching and technical assistance to women in sustainable agriculture.

In 2007, ASHA/Nepal plans to follow-up with women groups that were formed in the last two years by offering training workshops in group and fund management, sustainable agriculture, seeds and vegetable exhibition. ASHA/Nepal will also facilitate team-building exercises including group picnics, folk song competitions and community cleanliness programs.

ASHA/Nepal will take new initiatives in sustaining these women’s groups without external support. These initiatives include establishing market relations between the women and potential buyers for agro-products, activities to improve literacy skills and to strengthen their capacity for loan management and regular group monitoring.

In early January, all three women’s groups have received training in group and fund management to enable women to manage loans among their members. ASHA has also facilitated activities in sustainable agriculture including preparation and use of organic manures, farmyard management and cultivation in slopes and seed saving.

ASHA, based in Nuwakot, Nepal

Funding was applied to a project implemented in Okharpauwa VDC that began in 2004. ASHA has been promoting linkages to local institutions as a way of helping poor women access the formal banking industry from which historically they have been excluded.

•   Three groups of 64 women have taken part in trainings on group management and skills building.
•   They have approximately $330 in own savings to loan to members. (This is a sum equal to one year’s salary for one individual. Approximately 10 women can take loans from these funds.)
•   Purpose of loans: agriculture, small trade, and emergencies.
•   Sustainable agricultural training: organic composting and fertilizing training, seed preservation demonstration, seed bank development, intercropping demonstrations, sustainable land management training, and a vegetable exhibition. (Details in downloadable report.)

Topics Addressed in Women’s Groups
The women were asked which topics were of interest to them in receiving training and support. The following issues were identified:
•   Mobilization of the women’s group for social welfare
•   Leadership development within the group to help play a larger role in the community
•   Advocacy for women rights
•   Accessing public funds
•   Developing skills/ training in agriculture, pest management, seeds saving, manure and fertilizer management, increase productivity in sloping land
•   Literacy classes (to read and write and perform simple calculations)
•   Field visits to other sites to learn more organic farming techniques
•   Fund management (group funds)
•   Market linkages to sell crops

B) Savings and credit activity
•   Savings are collected once a month and a loan is distributed at the meeting itself. Members who need a loan make a requisition prior to the meeting. All members are required to save. Approximately 20 women so far have taken loans from these funds.
•   Average savings per month per person has increased from 40 cents to 80 cents, with some women indicating that they want to save even more.
•   The interest rate varies from 18% in the Kurilo group to 24% in the Jalukeni and Jaleshwari groups. The repayment period is usually three months.

C) Sustainable agriculture
Activities conducted:
•   Training on compost making, integrated pest management, agro-forestry, fruit and vegetable cultivation, fodder collection, and seed preservation.
•   Provision of quality seeds for vegetables (cabbage, radish, mustard, pumpkins, cucumber, beans, etc.), cereals (maize), and fruit saplings.
•   One-day demonstration visit to a sustainable farm and a one-day vegetable exhibition.
•   Seed bank development- Farmers have limited capacity to select good seeds from the field for subsequent years. (Seed selection is a specialized skill. Not all farmers are adept at this.) For crops such as maize, which is cross-pollinated, farmers have no knowledge of purity. The objective was to provide technical knowledge on seed production, selection, drying and storage. If farmers are able to produce good quality seeds by themselves, they do not need to buy them from the market and can reduce their overhead costs.
•   The program has helped to improve agriculture practices in terms farmyard manure management, cropping practices (multi-cropping and inter-cropping), and increase in utilization of available land. Many members were conversant in preparation of compost and manure, preservation of seeds, and farming techniques. The members together sold vegetables worth $2,750 in the local market.