A voice of resilience

03/06/2025

Khilamaya Nepali stands in a small parcel of land, her eyes fixed on a fly trap set up between rows of bitter gourd plants that have grown almost four feet.  

“See, here is a male fly,” she explains with quiet confidence about this new method of pest control. “We made a trap that captures male flies with the help of a specific chemical. We do this so that the population of flies remains under control. We learnt this in the field school course.”  

She is visibly proud of her newfound skills and her involvement in the Natural Resource Management farmer field school where she and a group of other farmers work collectively in this parcel of land in Udayapur district, southeastern Nepal.

The farmer field schools are a key component of the Building a Resilient Churia Region in Nepal project, funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) together with the Government of Nepal. The project empowers farmers to lead solutions for the increasing climate-related challenges for agriculture.

Facing multiple challenges

Nepal’s Churia region, located at the foothills of the mighty Himalayas, is facing serious threats from land degradation, erratic weather patterns and unsustainable human activities.  

Most farmers in this area are subsistence farmers relying on small plots of cereal crops like rice or maize to feed their families year-round.

Many farmers continue traditional crop practices despite rapid climate change, leaving them at greater risk of losing vital harvests to erratic weather.

The project, through the farmer field schools is addressing this climate related vulnerability by conducting comparative trials of different crop varieties, tracking their performance throughout the crop cycle and helping farmers identify those best suited to new local conditions and the impacts of climate extremes. These trial plots also serve as a platform for experimenting with new techniques, enabling farmers to observe, adapt and adopt innovative practices in real-world conditions.

One of these techniques involves using rice hay as a mulching agent to retain soil moisture in the dry season. Farmers used to burn the hay, which destroyed soil nutrients and beneficial microorganisms and created hazardous air pollution. After adopting this simple mulching technique, the soils retain more water, saving significant amounts of this precious resource. 

Khilamaya’s training introduced her to techniques to improve yields in small plots. She applied these methods in her own backyard plot, using what little land she had to test and refine her skills.

“We used to follow traditional techniques and practices in farming,” she says. “But after being trained in the field school, I have learnt a lot. The resource persons have taught me how to make liquid fertilizer using locally available products... I also learned how to make compost.”

Building knowledge and agency

The farmer field schools not only introduce modern yet accessible farming techniques, but also foster inclusive participation, ensuring that all farmers — including women, men and people with disabilities — can access tools for growth and empowerment. 

Khilamaya, herself, has lived with a disability since she was six months old. 

“As you can see, I do not have a right hand, which had caused several difficulties in my daily life,” says Khilamaya. “I particularly found it difficult to write. However, with my left hand, I learnt to write. Although a bit slowly, I can write now.”

Not owning her own farmland, she lives in a difficult financial situation, raising two daughters — the younger of whom also lives with a disability.

Khilamaya had traditionally been excluded from local programmes or training events because of her disability. However, facilitators of the farmer field school in the village of Risku encouraged her to participate. One Risku field school facilitator, Dev Kumari Raut, recounts how Khilamaya used to be hesitant at first, but gradually increased her participation and proved to be an engaged and determined learner.

Khilamaya belongs to the Dalit community of Nepal, who have historically faced social marginalization and caste discrimination.

Inclusivity is essential to the project’s success: 49.9 percent of its beneficiaries are from Indigenous Peoples groups and 14.5 percent are from Dalit communities. Additionally, 71 percent of participants in the field schools are women. 

The project has trained over 2 000 farmers to date and has helped implement climate-resilient farming practices in over 1 200 hectares of farmland. The results have been a dramatic increase in productivity for many farmers.

Community-based approaches can help build climate resilience — especially for people who have conventionally been overlooked. After Khilamaya got involved in the farmer field school, her livelihood prospects improved and so did her confidence, proving to herself and others that she is an active and valued member of the community.

By engaging traditionally marginalized farmers, the project is not only helping communities become more resilient to climate extremes but also showing that the path to resilience begins by making sure every voice is heard, every person is involved, and everyone has the potential to grow.

Related links

Learn more

• Website: FAO and climate change
• Website: FAO and the Green Climate Fund (GCF)
• Website: FAO country profile: Nepal