… agriculture can only be sustainable, if it uses its own seeds. We are delighted that the women are actively processing their own organic seeds and exchanging them amongst themselves.
Special varieties are also preserved on the model farms.
Many thanks to Schöck Family Foundation for supporting the model farms.
.. plays a central role in the cooperative, primarily coordinating joint marketing activities. It is not always easy to motivate the women in the four villages to work together on their future.
In any case, we are very impressed by how much she has developed personally in recent years.
Many thanks to Fair Styria for supporting marketing in the villages.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTnyfLetGhI
..at the model farm in Chyangsar. In addition to vegetables and seed production, more fruit can be harvested each year. Alongside apples and kiwis, this year there is a bountiful harvest of persimmons for the first time.
Palm kale was new to the women, so Carola organised a small cooking class and together they created Nepalese dishes.
Many thanks to the Schöck Family Foundation for making this project possible!
..we have been working together with the 33 women of the cooperative in Merangding on PGS (Participatory Guarantee System) certification for the cultivation of organic vegetables, Farmers Field Schools to deepen their knowledge, and income generation through sewing and vegetable sales. The model farm with a training hall was set up and marketing opportunities were explored together. Fruit trees grafted in Ghunsa are being cultivated on another field.
The first 18 women have even been recertified this time.
Now the women are equipped to continue growing vegetables and generating income independently. A reason to celebrate.
Many thanks to the Schöck Family Foundation for supporting the farm and to Fair Styria for the recertification.
…we have been working together with the 65 women of the cooperative in Kunikhop (Jaidu, Jyanging, Surke) on PGS (Participatory Guarantee System) certification for the cultivation of organic vegetables, Farmers’ Field Schools to deepen their knowledge, and income generation through sewing and vegetable sales. The model farm with a training hall has been set up and marketing opportunities have been explored together. The first 17 women have even been recertified this time.
Now the women are equipped to continue growing vegetables and generating income independently. A reason to celebrate.
Many thanks to the Schöck Family Foundation for supporting the farm and to Fair Styria for the recertification.
…towards Solukhumbu. Unfortunately, some of the roads were still impassable. Parts of the road were missing after last year’s floods, and the alternative route through the riverbed was impassable due to the current water level. So we flew to Janakpur and took a jeep to Solu from there.
Many thanks to my team, who always find a solution for everything.
when the monsoon in Nepal reliably ended in mid-September? Heavy rain, the rivers are rising again, the airport and public transport are repeatedly suspended. The subsequent sunshine triggers further landslides.
‘Our highway’ towards Solukhumbu was closed on 4 October 2025 until further notice due to landslides and flooding.
So once again, it is uncertain whether, when and how we will be able to drive to the villages.
..I flew to Nepal for the first time and was impressed by the approach. Almost 20 years and what feels like a million aeroplane photos later, the approximately 30th approach is still impressive. Today, I associate it not only with scenic beauty but also with an inkling of the challenges this country faces.
I am looking forward to a good time with our Nepalese team. Thank you to all the sponsors who have made our work possible for 12 years now.
.. run the model farm in an exemplary manner.
In mixed cultivation, the plants support each other. The young plants are in the field and everything is being prepared for the next sowing in the greenhouse.
Many thanks to the Schöck Family Foundation for supporting the farms.
…and water management are essential components of sustainable agriculture in Chyangsar. Our experts have shown the women some ways to combat pests naturally. Light traps, yellow boards, and red flags help with this. Water from the kitchen is collected through filters in a small pond and used for watering.
Many thanks to the Schöck Family Foundation for supporting the farms.
