Help us develop a self-sustainable farm in Nepal

3 210 €récoltés sur 3 000 €
0 jour restant
41 Participations

Créée par Manon Morelle

pour Sudarshan Chaudhary

Participer

The Spiral Farm House

The Spiral Farm House is a biodynamic organic farm created in 2012 by Sudarshan Chaudhary in Saptari (Eastern Nepal, 8 hours by drive from Katmandhu). Our farm is organized into two main activities: cultivating vegetables and fruits (3 ha) and breeding 12 milking dairy cows. Our objective is to develop sustainable organic agriculture while offering an adaptated solution to climate change.

Overview video available on https://youtu.be/6NIOSij6MlI


Who ?

I am Sudarshan Chaudhary, 38 years old, post-graduated from Tribhuvan University in Management. I decided to come back to my parent's home after my degree to start organic farming. In the beginning, they didn't believe in it. They never imagined before that they could grow food without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. On the land where we live now, my grandparents cut the forest and cultivated it in an organic and natural way. But in my father's time, our government promoted chemical fertilizers and they started using chemicals for good production. Yet, they still didn't get a good income.

Finally, I proved that without chemical fertilizers and pesticides, we can grow organic food that is healthier and more sustainable. After ten years of organic farming experience, I am starting to share my knowledge with other farmers and help local farmers move towards sustainable agriculture.


Our vision

The Spiral Farm House is a company where I practice biodynamic organic and indigenous farming techniques for sustainable farming and conservation of soil, biodiversity and environment.

On our farm, we focus on making good biodynamic compost which helps to protect our land and create ecological balance through farming. Biodynamic organic and indigenous farming give us good food, health, air, water, soil and social well-being. It helps us to conserve our climate through farming and carbon sequestration in the land through organic farming.

This farm also teaches farmers about the transition to organic farming. We are working to share documented knowledge about biodynamic organic farming and have already conducted numerous workshops in different parts of Nepal. Our goal is to create an organic food distribution cooperative in order to access large markets and increase farmers' livelihoods.


The problems we tackle

Currently, the farm is not profitable for several reasons. First of all, the milk we produce is sold at a very low price which does not allow us to compensate for the expenses related to the livestock. Furthermore, our organic fruits and vegetables are sold in the market at the same price as chemical ones due to a lack of consumer awareness. The only place where it could be valued is in the big cities which are located several hours away from the farm. We are also facing a climate crisis that involves heavy rain during late monsoon which damages vegetables and reduces production. Finally, biodynamic organic farming requires a lot of time and workforce that we cannot afford to hire at the moment.


What will the funds be used for ?

We are soliciting your donations to help this farm become profitable while preserving Mother Earth from the impact of chemicals and expanding this model to other farms in the region.

  • Objective 1 : Adding value to milk by processing it into butter and cheese (1000 €)

Investing in equipment such as a cream separator and a refrigerator would help to add value to the farm's milk production by processing it into butter and cheese. This diversification of activity could increase the livelihood of the farm by selling these dairy products at competitive market prices.

  • Objective 2 : Investing in 10 low-cost plastic tunnel houses to extend the growing season (480 €)

The acquisition of ten plastic greenhouses (600 m2 in total) would enable the production of vegetables during crucial seasons such as the monsoon and early winter. They could then be sold at a better price since the supply is lower during those periods and it would triple the volume of vegetables produced in the year.

  • Objective 3 : Renovating a building to create rooms and a bathroom in order to welcome volunteers (1400 €)

Welcoming volunteers would represent a significant help for the fieldwork on the farm. It is also an opportunity to exchange on what exists elsewhere in the world and to share great experiences.

Thank you !