The mid and far-western regional team of GIZ/INCLUDE, led by Mr. Nibedan Baidya, Senior Programme Officer, visited riverbed farming sites and held discussions on the progress of the riverbed farming project in Dang with its local cooperative partner, Uddhyamshil Krishi Multipurpose Cooperative Ltd. (UKMCL), line agencies and farmer groups on March 14, 2010. 

Mr. Bejhu Chaudhary, President of the Jana Jyoti Krishak Group, thanked GIZ/INCLUDE and UKMCL for their efforts in raising awareness and asked that they organise more group trainings in the future. Mr. Baidya shared the contents from the monitoring and review report and stressed on the sustainability aspect of the project.

Mr. Dhruva Kumar Shrestha, chairperson of UCKML, explained that the sales from the first riverbed farming produce will be made in the local market. He added their plans for the next year were “to start a weekly haat bazaar at the free area in front of our office.”

Mr. Ram Prasad Chaudhary, a farmer of the Jana Jyoti Krishak Group, also spoke during the programme. He said, “I had minimal knowledge about riverbed farming and had done a little farming before,” and added, “I was alone and without sufficient resources.” Now, with a group and support from the cooperative, the father of three and a carpenter by day, Mr. Chaudhary is actively involved in the programme. He also plans to “put a solid roof on my house from the money I earn from selling the watermelons that I have planted.”

Along with the progress of the project, some concerns were addressed by the farmers. Ms. Suraj Devi Gharti, one of the 41 members of the Lali Gurans Group, stressed on the value of a good irrigation system and the problem of pest control. “Both are major problems for us,” she remarked. Further, the leaders of the farmer groups shared their concerns that the cost of transporting the produce from the harvesting ground to the local market would need to be considered.

Mr. Shreedhar Adhikari, Senior Agriculture Officer, pledged his support of electric water pumps and regular technical assistance to the groups. He was also confident that the project “would continue in the coming years.” Emphasising on the sustainability aspect of the project, Mr. Baidya suggested UKMCL to create local resource persons by capacitating a lead farmer of each group in such a way that the groups would not have to depend on external help to solve simple agricultural technical problems.