Pesticides, deforestation and monocultures are wreaking havoc for Nepalese farmers, causing landslides and degrading the soil. Activists are using puppetry to make a change.Project aim: Helping Nepalese farmers prepare for the effects of climate change.
Project implementation: Farmers in the landslide-stricken Arghakhanchi region are switching to farming that protects the soil by planting trees with deep roots
Project scope: The project is part of “Farming for Biodiversity,” a group that supports eco-friendly farming practises in Nepal, as well as Ethiopia, Benin, Ecuador, Kenya, Mexico, Peru und Vietnam
Project partner: Rare, National Disaster Risk Reduction Center (NDRC), IFOAM – Organics International, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the German Environment Ministry’s International Climate Initiative (IKI)
Project budget: €2,129,560 ($2,455,538) in total, around € 61,500 of which is being invested in Nepal
Project timeframe: September 2016 – December 2019
In 2017, farmer Nanda Neupane, his family and his home near the Nepalese border with India survived a potentially devastating landslide. But he knows strong rains could trigger another, and that he might not be so lucky next time. He’s one of many farmers in this part of Nepal coming up against the effects of soil-destroying pesticides and the slash-and-burn agriculture that has increased the danger of landslides. Now, Neupane and other farmers are getting advice on how to protect themselves against torrents of mud and stone — and how they can revitalize their farms — from an usual source: puppets.
A film by Wolf Gebhardt
