For 36-year-old Bhupendra Pulami Magar, a resident of Dasharathpur VDC Ratatar in Surkhet, the prospect of generating meaningful agricultural income from a heavily degraded margin of riverbed seemed nearly impossible. However, his story became a testament to the power of targeted agricultural intervention.
In early March 2012, empowered by the Vegetable Model Farm initiative supported by GIZ/STPP and MRC Nepal, Bhupendra took a leap of faith. He planted commercial cucumbers across just 400 square meters of this previously abandoned, highly marginal land.
Astonishing Returns
The growth was explosive, completely shattering his expectations. By the end of April, within an incredibly short timeframe, Bhupendra had already harvested early cucumbers three times over, yielding 170 kilograms of fresh produce. Selling the cucumbers at a premium rate of Rs. 40 per kilogram, he quickly pocketed NRs. 6,800.
“This feels like making an absolute fortune to me,” Bhupendra shared, struggling to contain his happiness over an income level he had never experienced before.
With five more major harvests expected to yield over Rs. 10,000, his success has fundamentally altered his family’s trajectory. Motivated by this explosive early victory, his wife, Mrs. Yam Kala Pulami Magar, immediately began expanding their operations, planting bottle gourd, beans, and sponge gourd on an adjacent 500-square-meter plot.
Together, the deeply motivated couple has become literal models for their village—transforming their tiny plot into an official Model Farm and actively convincing their neighbors to adopt commercial vegetable farming.
“This is the wake of a completely new life,” Bhupendra stated emotionally, offering his deepest gratitude to GIZ/STPP and MRC Nepal for introducing the effective, sustainable income-generation activities that so directly rescued his livelihood.
