Support 200 Nepalese farmers to become food secure

We bring you new project updates. Last month, we had a meeting with the team in Nepal to discuss the funding from the Global FEWture Alliance and the plan of action for the following months. The team is working on finalising the budget and other funding requirements, and we expect the timeframe of this phase of the project to be from summer 2025 to summer 2026. Implications of the research and results will be showcased and published in an academic paper. The plan of action and working packages we developed last year remain similar to the work plan that will be followed in the next months. The next step will be to update the work plan and deliverables to the timeframe, deadlines and requirements of the funding. 

Working with Kathmandu University as partner of the project, the team in Nepal is also involving interns to conduct certain tasks. They have started conducting the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) survey with biochar kiln users, which will provide us with key information on the usage, design and added value of the kiln. We will review the trial interviews on the KAP survey with a small focus group to assess the results and see whether the survey needs any modifications before surveying more users. We will also assess the need to shorten the survey. 

The team in Nepal is also planning on starting the field trials shortly. They will conduct them on Sanskriti Farms. The team will use a diversity of crops, and the testing will also be done in a greenhouse as control. The bioclimatic differences within Nepal can provide more information on the trials.

Exciting progress of the project for the following months, we cannot wait to update you on our next report. Thank you as always for supporting the project!

Since our last report, Nepal, and especially our partner’s area, has been badly affected by heavy torrential rain, landslides, and floods. The village was disconnected from the road access. At the beginning of October, road access was opened; however, the electricity and communication networks were still disconnected. This natural disaster has caused few deaths, animal losses, and property loss in the village. We are attaching some pictures our partner Shree has shared with us. Once the situation has improved, we will continue working on the evaluation phase of the project. 

In the meantime, the team in Nepal is in direct communication with the University of Maryland, making the last modifications to the budget to receive the funding from the Global FEWture Alliance program. This is an international alliance that seeks to alleviate food, water and energy insecurity, protect environmental and global public health and bolster community resilience in a changing climate. Our biochar kiln is one of the projects comprising the Alliance, as it researches the role of biochar as a soil amendment that increases crop yield in a sustainable and climate-friendly manner. If you want to know more about the Global FEWture Alliance and how our project is involved in it, click here.

We hope to bring you good news from Nepal in our next report as the situation alleviates. Thank you for supporting the project!