Early in life, Nepali farmer Uttam was forced to flee his village due to his political affiliation. After years of fear and hiding, he returned home to restart his life. He began to farm with varying degrees of success until connecting with Convoy of Hope.
Fast forward to present day: he and his wife are successful farmers, and Uttam serves as one of Convoy’s local field staff.
“Right now I’m engaged in bringing change in agriculture by doing farming work like tunnel farming [and] animal husbandry,” he said. Uttam is using what he learned from Convoy of Hope to teach others proper farming techniques.
When Convoy of Hope enters a community like Uttam’s, teams work alongside farmers to find a plan that fits their situation — not to dictate how things must be done.
“After joining the project implemented by Convoy in our village, I got training in commercial tomato farming, kiwi farming, ‘FAITH’ garden training, management of compost manure, and organic fertilizer,” said Uttam. With his input, the program is helping farmers find new ways to grow new crops, and his community is seeing record harvests.
“In my village, we used to purchase vegetables from the market. But now … we get enough vegetables in our house that we are also able to sell.”
On a level deeper than a larger harvest, Uttam recognizes growth within himself. He said, “From my story, I want other people to learn that changes should be made from ourselves. If we want to make changes, our thinking should change first. And this has encouraged me to continue this work, even after the project phases out from my village.”
Uttam is proud of the work he and his community have done. The change in their economic standards has given people life and opportunities.
“I’m very much thankful … Though we didn’t know each other, your generous support in my village has helped to brighten the eyes of our people.”
While long-term support is available for each Nepali farmer in the program, Convoy’s plan is to ultimately provide sustainable techniques that will last for generations. To support Convoy of Hope’s Agriculture initiative, click here.
About Convoy of Hope’s Agriculture Program
Food security transforms communities by lifting people out of dependence on others for their daily sustenance. Through this program, we equip vulnerable farmers and their families with the skills, tools, and seeds to produce life-sustaining crops. Local farmers harvest many meals each year for our Children’s Feeding program, which simultaneously generates income for them.
