28/06/2019

Smallholder farmer led irrigation program

Ramnagar Agriculture Group is one of the smallholder farmer groups formed during SAFBIN I in Bansgadi Municipality of Bardia district. After phasing out of the project in 2016, the group remained less active. But with the start of the new phase of the program in 2018, there was new excitement and hope in the group. With the help of SAFBIN staff they reregistered and renewed their group in local authority. They also came to know that they can claim some entitlements from the local government after being registered. With the effort of the SAFBIN staff (VRP), the group submitted a proposal to the municipality office for small irrigation program. And soon they had a result also. The local government from it’s small irrigation program, provided them Nepalese rupees of one hundred and fifty thousand ( NRS 150,000/-) to purchase a hand pump for irrigation. The group contributed the remaining NRS 1,50,000.

Currently the pump is being used by members of the group for irrigation purpose which covers at least 26.66 hectare of land. The group has also prepared a sustainability plan to use this system more systematically where every member of the group pay certain amount of money for using this facility. The money is collected in the collective account of the group which is being maintain in the local cooperative. The group has also a plan to let other people outside from the group to use the facility and collect more money.