Work

 

Mr. Gurung is a community organizer for the Nepal Institute of Development Studies. In his work he organizes farmers for training in organic farming, collective marketing, and land rights. Mr Gurung sees injustices in his area on a daily basis and is passionate about helping farmers overcome poverty and improve access to education for their children. More specifically, the training programs raise awareness about the adverse and long term effects of chemical fertilizers and pesticides; explore the markets for organic products in nearby towns; help farmers understand the land rights issues through tenant registration, and connect landless households with national land rights campaigns. “Our community looks like a healthy community but in practice it is a feudal community with few opportunities. Unless changes take place such as land ownership reform and improved farming practices, development activities will have little impact on the poor households and benefits will go to the richer sections of the communities.” After his training at ARI Mr. Gurung plans to develop a cooperative farm for farmers to come together to work to increase their agricultural production capacity. He is also hoping that ARI training will provide him with increased confidence and leadership skills to be more effective in the NIDS campaign on land rights.

Sending Organization

 

The Nepal Institute of Development Studies (NIDS) is a research, training and advocacy organization that seeks to reduce poverty in Nepal. The target groups are the underprivileged and those communities who are the marginalized and vulnerable groups; namely women, Dalits (lowest caste), landless farmers, communities affected by HIV, and migrants and their families. One of the projects is the Humla Development Initiative. Humla is the least developed district of Nepal. It is twelve days walk from the nearest road. The literacy rate is low and child mortality and poverty are high. NIDS is working with this community to improve their quality of life through, agricultural training and education. NIDS also works with farmers throughout the region on tenancy rights and is preparing ground work for a policy advocacy campaign on land rights.