Bishnu Maya Shrestha, a resilient resident of Haraiya-6 in the Bara district, found herself confronting a severe financial crisis. Her husband had migrated to Malaysia hoping to earn money to support their family, but he tragically fell ill and was forced to return to Nepal empty-handed. Left with an ailing husband and two young children to put through school, Bishnu Maya was suddenly the sole provider, grappling with a profound lack of income.
Her path changed when she discovered the Farmer’s Field School project, an initiative championed by MRC Nepal with financial backing from the UNDP’s Global Environment Facility – Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP).
Learning to Grow
Through the Field School, Bishnu Maya began attending weekly Saturday gatherings where she learned the intricate science of organic vegetable farming. She studied nutrient management, insect life cycles, and—most importantly—how to protect crops responsibly using natural biopesticides rather than harmful chemicals.
Applying her new education to just 100 square meters of land, she aggressively pursued organic agriculture. Within three to four short months, her tiny plot yielded 70 kilos of sponge gourd, 40 kilos of bitter gourd, and 30 kilos of okra.
“Earlier, it was very difficult to convince the local people because they thought growing organic off-season vegetables was simply not possible,” recalled Mr. Bharat Khadka, the project’s Team Leader.
Bishnu Maya definitively proved those doubts wrong. Her organic produce was of such high quality that she didn’t even need to travel to a market—buyers began flocking directly to her village. Selling her fresh vegetables right at her farm gate at premium prices (Rs 25–40 for sponge gourd, Rs 25–70 for bitter gourd, and Rs 20–40 for okra), Bishnu Maya shattered her family’s cycle of poverty.
She has already accrued significant cash savings while continually expanding her farm operations. Now serving as a sub-group leader in the Farmer’s Field School and an active member of the Pratiba Agriculture Environment Conservation Group, Bishnu Maya is officially a community leader.
Expressing her profound gratitude to UNDP’s GEF-SGP and MRC Nepal, she proudly declared, “A true green revolution has started right here in Haraiya-6.”
