Our team of 5 personnel made a week-long journey to Myagdi, conducted agricultural training sessions in 6 out of 8 wards in Annapurna Rural Municipality. Our team trained groups of local farmers representing each ward about the importance of soil testing and crop rotation, and how to perform soil tests using portable test kits.
Approximately 64 people were trained, and 37 people were surveyed to measure the baseline socioeconomic status (SES) of farmers in the region. We also handed over two soil testing kits to each of the groups, which will be used to conduct further soil tests in different regions of the rural municipality.
At Abiral Foundation, we realize that training in itself is inadequate to improve the socioeconomic status, our ultimate goal. For such an impact, it is crucial that farmers have access to soil tests, they integrate soil testing in their agricultural practices, and employ necessary measures based on the results. We are in further discussion with Mr. Dam Bhadur Pun, the chairperson of the rural municipality, about developing a means to make the portable soil testing kits accessible, monitoring agricultural practices, allocating budget for agricultural development, and providing training on preparation of compost manure.
Our heartfelt thanks to Leslie Melnyk, Prasanna KC, Nishan Devkota, and Dam Bahadur Pun for investing their hearts and souls into this project, and to all donors, without whom this project would have been impossible.
Below are two links to the local news that featured this project: