Inspiration from Ecological Farmers from Chitwan, Nepal by Anil Bhattarai

By Daulat Jha

On April 26, 2012, NAYA organized a discussion series on environmental issues in Nepal. The talk was titled “Re-Embedding Society and Economy on Ecosystem: Inspirations from Farmers in Nepal’s Chitwan Valley” using real-life stories of people in the region in Central Nepal who are redefining agriculture through their sustainable practices and smart economics.

Anil Bhattarai recently spent 15 months doing ethnographic research with ecologically oriented farmers. NAYA hosted him to share his research, along with the experiences of his decade long involvement with agricultural practices in Nepal. Mr. Bhattarai is based at the University of Toronto’s Programme in Planning and Department of Geography and is currently writing his Ph.D. dissertation on “Building Ecological Future: Emergence and Spread of Ecological Agricultural Practices in Nepal.” He is exploring the way intentional ecological farming practices are transforming Nepal’s agrarian landscape in some profound ways and how those practices could provide insights into a viable future for the world increasingly enmeshed in multiple crises engendered by fossil-fuelled and globally integrated industrialism.

Sharing his experiences with anecdotes and pictures Mr. Bhattarai explained how one farmer in the Chitwan Valley has created a seed repository that has more than 40 varieties of paddy seeds. He discussed that there has been an emergence of ecologically grounded farming practices in the valley of with practices such as organic farming, permaculture, and sustainable agriculture and how they are creating new economies and ecological landscapes.

The talk was optimistic about the future of Nepal’s ecological system and urged more entrepreneurs to embrace a new ethos of sustainability and agriculture.