One of the key strategies of PIWAAI is to increase access to and remove the barriers of marketing to enhance agricultural productivity is by setting up collection centers at major project sites which will be operated by Market Planning Committee (MPC). Thus, an interaction meeting was held on 29 and 30 November 2022, among the representatives of 28 Farmer’s Group, MPC and local traders in Melamchi and Sunkoshi to connect each party, identify issues and address the gap between expectations and performance.

This interaction meeting supported in building trust and fostering accountability among the farmers and the MPC. The effective regulation of the collection center was also ensured by extending responsibilities to farmers who are influencers and leaders in their groups and communities. Their responsibility is primarily to build relationship with traders and buyers in formal markets to keep up to date with pertinent information on market requirement, current demands, available services, and trading mechanisms.

PIWAAI in the third year will contribute to increasing vegetable selling by helping farmers improve productivity, quality and expand their access to markets. MPC will be provided with intensive education, training, and support to capacitate them to play a significant role in enhancing agricultural productivity in Melamchi, Sunkoshi and Balefi.

#PIWAAI #agriculture #marketing #PIWAAI_Agriculture #PWJ

PIWAAI phase II (WASH component) has successfully supplied 65 liters of safe and clean water per person in a day to 145 households (Balefi and Melamchi), benefitting a total of 723 people.

Further phase III of PIWAAI project intervention area includes 5 community settlements from Balefi Rural Municipality and will make safe drinking water accessible to total of 282 households. A total of 5 Water Supply Systems, among which one will be a lifting drinking water supply system, while rest is gravity fed. The project intends to bring water closer to the people reducing their time, effort and risk-especially for women and girls- and protecting the water to ensure good health and wellbeing. The construction work of all water supply schemes is ongoing.

#PIWAAI #WSS #safedrinking #SDG #PIWAAI_WASH #PWJ #MoFA

Realizing its importance and need for conservation, each year December 5 is celebrated internationally as World Soil Day. This year, the 9th World Soil Day is celebrated with the theme ‘Soils: Where food begins’ “स्वास्थ माटोको साथ, खाद्य उत्पादनको शुरुवात”. The day aims to raise awareness of importance of maintaining healthy ecosystem and human well-being by addressing the growing challenges in soil management, increasing soil awareness, and encouraging societies to improve soil health.

Some tips to maintain soil health:
• Minimize soil disturbance by limiting tillage activities and optimization of chemical inputs.
• Maximize soil cover by growing cover crops, using organic mulch, and leaving plant residues in the field.
• Ensure regular crop rotation including legumes.
• Use well decomposed farmyard manure and green manures.
• Prevent soil acidification by limiting use of urea and applying calculated amount of agricultural lime.

Soil is something that we have ignored for years, and soil is something that urgently needs our attention. Let us save soil before it is too late. Wishing everyone a very Happy World Soil Day.

#WorldSoilDay #WorldSoilDay2022 #isap #PIWAAI #PIWAAI_agriculture

The Project for Improving Water Access and Agriculture Income, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan and jointly Implemented by Peace Winds Japan and Institution for Suitable Actions for Prosperity (ISAP) conducted its Central Project Advisory Committee (CPAC) Meeting successfully on 31 August 2022, with the presence of honorable representatives from different ministries at the Social Welfare Council.

All the representatives appreciated the work done in the three thematic areas: agriculture, WASH and COVID-19. Technical queries raised were addressed, and suggestions and recommendations provided were taken into account by the team.

#CPAC #PWJ #PIWAAI #SWC #SDG

On 24th August 2022, the 3 water supply schemes built under the PIWAAI, namely, Kalidaha Khadkathok WSS, Adherikhola Sunkhani WSS and Kadamphed Pipaltar WSS was handed over to the Melamchi Municipality during the Inauguration and Handover Ceremony chaired by Mr. Aitaman Tamang Tamang Shyangbo Aaitaman, Mayor of Melamchi Municipality, with the presence of Mr. Kiran Deep Khadka, Chairperson of Melamchi Ward no 9, WUC representatives, beneficiaries of all three schemes along with project team. As the mayor pledged to keep the schemes maintained and repaired, he said “Although ISAP has built the infrastructures for us, we hold the key to either break it or make it. Therefore, I request you to take care of the scheme like your own, and we are always here to help you with any issue that may arise. I am very much thankful towards the organization and hope for the support in near future.”

The project has benefited 36 households in Sunkhani, 25 households in Pipaltar and 25 households in Khadkathok., 68 years old Mr. Ram Bahadur Tamang, WUC chairperson of Sunkhani and a VMW, expressed immense appreciation to the team and said that “The team faced many hardships during the construction and worked constantly to complete the scheme, ignoring the time of the day or the weather.” He also recalled how children, women and elderly suffered from different water borne diseases due to unsafe drinking water and so thanked ISAP for saving lives of the people in the community. As a spokesperson of the community, he made an assurance of using his position and the skills learnt from the organization in the rightful manner to preserve the infrastructures.

Mr. Kiran Deep Khadka, chairperson of Melamchi ward no 9, reminded the community members to be responsible and accountable towards the structures built in their community. He expressed his gratitude to the organization for training the community members with important skills and requested them to utilize those skills to ensure sustainability. The ceremony came to a successful conclusion as the beneficiaries, and the local government proclaiming their commitment to contribute towards sustainability of the structures.
#WASH #PIWAAI #PWJ #SDG #handover #watertaps #community

Agricultural cooperatives are a crucial means to provide all the services needed by farmers. According to the National Cooperative Federation of Nepal, in Bagmati Province, 10418 cooperatives are registered, among which the highest number of cooperatives (502) are registered in Sindhupalchok only. The cooperatives often face challenges of ineffective management, lack of market access, inadequate member commitment, and insufficient services including financial services, among others. Thus, one day cooperative management training was provided to beneficiaries and executive members of cooperatives registered in Melamchi Municipality, and Balefi and Sunkoshi Rural Municipality which focused on capacitating and strengthening the cooperatives and enable beneficiaries to utilize these services effectively from these cooperatives. The training was facilitated by Mr Babul Khanal, Deputy General Manager of National Cooperative Federation of Nepal Ltd.

“I thought our cooperative was doing its best in providing the services to our beneficiaries, but through this training, I came to know that we were only doing the bare minimum. I thank ISAP for providing this training to us because we have learnt about effective management and financial planning to provide the best services to our beneficiaries so that they can improve their livelihood.”- Kamala Parajuli, Social Reform and Women’s development Saving and Credit Cooperative Ltd. (Shree Samaj Sudhar tatha Mahila Bikas Bachat tatha Wrin Sahakari Sanstha).

#cooperativemanagement #training #agriculture #PIWAAI #PWJ #sindhupalchok #SDG

ISAP and ピースウィンズ・ジャパン　Peace Winds Japan jointly handed over the three water supply schemes in Balefi Rural Municipality in an Inauguration and Handover Ceremony conducted on 15th August, 2022 which was chaired by Chairperson of Balefi Rural Municipality, Mr. Ganga Bahadur Tamang. This event also saw the presence of Ward Chairpersons from Ward-04 and 06, Water User Committee representatives as well as beneficiaries from three water supply schemes namely, Baserikhola Acharya Tole Water Supply Scheme, Jamune Khola Dhad Water Supply Scheme, and Damaikhola Keurinidada Water Supply Scheme, along with other project stakeholders. These three schemes are the part of Project for Improving Water Access and Agriculture Income (PIWAAI), funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan, and jointly implemented by ISAP and PWJ.

The project has provided “ek ghar ek dhara” (one house one tap) to 23 households in Dhad, 21 households in Acharya tole and 15 households in Keurinidada. PIWAAI also has enhanced the capacity of the WUC members and 2 members from each WUC as Repair and Maintenance Workers. The handover ceremony was celebrated with much joy by the beneficiaries. “I hope to see the infrastructures in same condition when I come visit after 20 years. I hope that your grandchildren and their grandchildren can drink water from the same taps built by the project,” said Er. Basanta Pradhan, Technical Advisor of ISAP.

As the representatives from the local government expressed their gratitude towards the organization, they also urged the local community to be mindful about valuing the structures built and the path it has paved towards enriching their livelihoods. Mr. Tej Bahadur Parajuli, Balefi ward number 6 chairperson said that “Access of clean water is not only a basic need of mankind, but a necessity to sustain, all forms of life in the world. Our daily lives revolve around water, and now that each house has an easy access to safe drinking water, it has particularly saved women’s time. Now, women can utilize the saved time in engaging in income generating activities.

PWJ’s Community Development Expert, Ms. Nana Yamaguchi expressed how the assistance of the Japanese government and people to prioritize the development of basic facility such as drinking water contributes to strengthen the friendly ties between the two countries. On behalf of the Balefi Rural Municipality, Mr. Ganga Bahadur Tamang assured the community to provide any support required in the future. The beneficiaries and the local government together proclaimed their commitment to preserve the structures to ensure sustainability.

#PIWAAI #PWJ #japanesesupport #WASH #handover #sindhupalchok #balefiruralmunicipality #SDG

Two days farmers’ exposure visit was conducted for the beneficiaries of farmers groups of Melamchi, Sunkoshi and Balefi with a motto “learning by seeing” on 10th and 11th August 2022, under the Project for Improving water Access and Agriculture Income (PIWAAI) program funded by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan and implemented by Institution for Suitable Actions for Prosperity (ISAP) with Peace Winds Japan (PWJ). On the first day, farmers from Melamchi visited two commercial Agri-farms: Suvha Krishi Farm at Panauti and Ugrachandi Krishi Farm at Nala, while on the second day, farmers of Balefi and Sunkoshi visited the same farms.

The farmers observed the 37-plastic house with tomato in all tunnels in Panauti and 98 tunnels with tomato, capsicum and cucumber in Nala. They also had an opportunity to interact with the proprietors of the two farms and exchanged their experience. At the end of the day, the farmers went back with a learning that a farmer can work experimentally and adopt new strategies, and techniques according to their topography and climate. “Although I became a part of the project and committed myself into commercial agriculture, I was always afraid of taking the risk to expand my work. However, I would like to thank ISAP for giving me this opportunity to meet with such young people who are motivated to do agriculture in a country like ours and have also succeeded in it. If he can do it, then it is possible for anyone, but all we need is commitment and hard work.”- Sugam Giri, Deurali Bhanjyang Farmer’s Group, Melamchi.

#PIWAAI #PWJ #agriculture #SDG #exposurevisit #Sindhupalchok #learning