Jul 4, 2022
Early in the morning, farm is the only place where Kalpana rushes to. She spends more than 6 hours a day weeding, planting, fertilizing, and watering her vegetables in her farm. Her husband is the primary breadwinner of the family and although, the income she generates from vegetables does not cover for the entire household expenses, she is still happy to be able to ease some financial burden off her husband. When PIWAAI was implemented in Melamchi Municipality, Kalpana Khadka saw it as the perfect opportunity for her be to be able to cover for her household expenses.
40-year-old Kalpana Khadka, is a member of Raktakali Farmers’ Group. She is among the most active beneficiaries affiliated to the project and among the most enthusiastic ones. Like many, she started vegetable production with the equipment, tools, plastic house, and seed support received from the project, in which she produces different varieties of seasonal and off-season vegetables.
Reflecting on her days prior the project intervention, she shared how her family had to eat rice with noodles whenever the vegetables were not available in the market and when they could not afford it. Now, her family is never short on vegetables, which keeps motivated. She also shared that she is very proud of herself for being to provide for her children’s education.
With the income from vegetable production, Kalpana is also able to support and secure the needs of two of her children. “The best thing is it’s for my children,” she said. “I am able to support them.” She feels grateful that a farmer like her also can provide the best education to her children which otherwise was difficult for her husband to solely make the ends meet.
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