Horticulture Specialist Travels to Nepal to Educate Farmers About Ginger
By Dr. Reza Rafie, horticulture Extension specialist at VSU
Field demonstration of ginger rhizome rot.
During a recent trip to Nepal, I had the opportunity to help farmers solve problems with producing sustainable ginger crops.
I am grateful for the opportunity to represent Virginia State University and the College of Agriculture as part of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Farmer-toFarmer Program and to collaborate with a team of in-country staff of Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
We assisted the two small farming communities of Hagspur and Sarumarani, both in the Pyuthan District, with sustainable production methods to improve ginger yield and quality and, more importantly, reduce rhizome rot of ginger, which is a devastating disease facing small farmers not only in Nepal but globally.
Ginger is a very important spice for Nepal in terms of export and domestic trade and consumption. Nepal is the third largest ginger producer after China and India and produces 235,000 metric tons of this important spice annually.
It is a beautiful country, and so mountainous that eight of the world’s ten tallest mountains, including Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth, are located there. Nepal is also the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, known to many as Buddha, who was born in 623 B.C. in the beautiful garden of Lumbini. I was struck by the majesty of this sacred garden, where thousands of people come to visit.
The two-week assignment was mostly to train ginger farmers in the Pyuthan District how to grow ginger sustainably by using production methods that can reduce diseases and improve quality and yield. One striking thing about this training was the level of enthusiasm and hunger of small farmers for new information about growing and managing ginger diseases.
In the Sarumarani community, I asked farmers attending the training whether they have ever had any kind of technical assistance or educational training provided to them, and the answer was “no.” This was not surprising, given the difficulty in transportation and road access to these remote communities in Nepal. I was told, and I experienced myself, that all roads in these mountainous regions are hazardous and exposed to possible landslides, particularly during the rainy season, which is May to November. In general, it is very challenging to travel in Nepal due to limited road access and narrow roads.
At the ginger research program station, discussing field research with scientists.
Two other striking things about this trip was the prevalence of smart phones and available Internet access in these communities. When I hear that the Internet is changing our world, and the way we communicate, it all makes sense after my trip to Nepal. All the field training sessions I conducted were recorded by these small, limitedresource farmers on their phones. It truly is amazing to see the power of technology in places with so many other challenges for basic services.
And last but not least, I was amazed by the beauty of the mountains all over the country, the beautiful, colorful dresses worn by the women and the kindness and generosity of Nepalese people. Nepalese are exceptionally generous, kind, hospitable and honest. Based on my experience and what I heard from others, the country is safe for visitors, and they are so very welcoming to foreigners.
Nepalese food was tasty, spicy and mostly vegetable based. Rice is the staple meal, and goats are the main source of meat. In fact, there are goats everywhere.
During this trip, we trained 60 small farmers, 30 percent of whom were women. (Women’s role in farming was very noticeable). We met with local private sector business leaders and government decision makers and visited Nepal’s National Ginger Research Programme in Kapurkot, Salyan District, and also met with Dr. S. Ahmad, coordinator of the center, and his research team. It was interesting to learn about their work on ginger post-harvest storage. We exchanged information and talked about the possibility of future collaboration.
Traveling to Nepal and working with CRS technical staff, learning about farmers’ challenges and opportunities and seeing different parts of the country was truly an amazing experience, and I will cherish the memories of this visit for years to come.
Intentional development assignments are like two-way streets, not only do you share your experience and knowledge with people of the country you are visiting, but you also learn about the local wisdom. After all, farmers in Nepal have been growing ginger for thousands of years, and trips like this allow us to tap into that local wisdom and knowledge. I highly recommend finding an assignment that fits your expertise and experience. There is a website for the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer Program, farmer-to-farmer.org or you may want to consider contacting Catholic Relief Service (CRS), www.crs.org directly for possible future assignments.
Local ginger growers attended a classroom presentation on sustainable ginger production.
Participants enthusiastically listened as Dr. Rafie demonstrated disease-free ginger transplanting techniques.
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