
More than 65% of Nepal’s rural population depends on agriculture, primarily as subsistence farmers. Women make up 70% of the farming community in Nepal, often managing labor-intensive subsistence farms due to the migration of men for wage work. The Promoting Resilience and Enterprise Development through Local Resource Utilisation in Nepal (PRERNA) project, funded by the Bayer Cares Foundation, is a Social Innovation award initiative. This funding supports projects that promote health and well-being, enhance education, facilitate scientific research and knowledge sharing, improve social inclusion for marginalized groups, and address environmental challenges while encouraging sustainable practices. The Bayer SIP-PRERNA project operates in the Madi and Machhapuchrre Rural Municipalities of Kaski District in Gandaki Province. Smallholder farmers in Nepal face significant challenges due to limited access to agronomic knowledge and resource-efficient inputs and technologies, which worsen poverty and food insecurity. The current demand-supply gap for inorganic fertilizers has created a strong market for organically produced compost. In response, the project plans to produce and utilize Tricho vermicompost as a new fertilizer solution, which will enhance the well-being of smallholder farmers by increasing agricultural productivity and income opportunities. Additionally, the project aims to reduce the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers while sustainably improving food security and dietary quality through better access to safe vegetables. This initiative will promote the sustainable production and consumption of organic compost at the local level, establishing 200 Tricho vermicompost production units for farmers and facilitating the creation of four Tricho vermicompost enterprises.
Project Details
Countries
Nepal
Province
Gandaki
Working district
Kaski
Municipality
Madi and Machhapuchhre Rural Municipality
Duration
August 2024 - December 2025
Partners
iDE Nepal
Funded by
Bayer Cares Foundations-Social Innovation Fund
Household coverage
200 HHS directly involved in vermicompost production.
4 TVC enterprises (Cooperatives).
Indirectly 2500 farmers reached
Contact Person
Anupam Uprety
E-mail: anupam.uprety@libird.org