This project was implemented, contributing to the Green Karnali project, one of LI-BIRD’s initiatives in the region. The project commenced in January 2022 with funding support from DCA, in collaboration with farmers’ groups, cooperatives, and community seed banks, targeting women and youth. The project focused on empowering and engaging women farmers through building knowledge and skills in the production and marketing of safe and ecological farm products. This helped improve participation and leadership in local institutions (groups/cooperatives), establishing linkages and partnerships with local technical schools, as well as government and private sectors for support services. The project documented and built on indigenous knowledge and local resource bases while co-creating agro-ecological solutions appropriate for local farming situations.

Moreover, the project also collaborated with local technical schools to engage young students and help them understand, learn, and contribute to designing and implementing agroecological village approaches. The established agroecological villages were utilised for demonstration, conducting community training as well as promoting farmer–to-farmer learning. A participatory performance evaluation of the ecological village was planned to be conducted once a year, to engage communities, school students, and local governments.

Based on the performance, activities were further refined to achieve outcomes and outputs. Action research led by the Green Karnali project team was executed in the agroecological village site, and findings from it were documented and shared among the stakeholders involved for wider dissemination. The project supported in establishing agro-ecological villages with women-responsive farming solutions that further enhanced the production and marketing of safe and healthy farm produce.