Informal organization makes change

 

                                         

                                         

                                                            Photo: By Keshav Chandra Bagale

                                         Some of the member discussing for the further plan

Co-operative, boon to eradicate poverty, is popular among the countryside community of Nepal. Basically rural people exercise cooperative as informal organization although government have formulated rules and regulation to make it as formal organization. In each and every villages of Nepal agro-cooperatives, which is involved in agriculture related sector, have been established under the aid of governmental and various non-governmental sector. There is a popular slogan among the stakeholder and grass root people “Cooperatives in Villages, Employment at Every Household”. These cooperatives are run as informal mutual aid groups and rotating savings and credit associations. They are a key component of women and marginalized group empowerment through agricultural activities. They help small landholder farmers to negotiate better terms in contact farming and lower prices for agricultural inputs. Through this type of organization in context of Nepal smallholders can achieve sustainable livelihoods, improve food security in their community and also can play a marked role in catching the increasing demand for food on local level.

Aid for subsistence farming

Dal Bahadur Gurung, an indigenous and ethnic group member of Shardanagar VDC of Chitwan district of Nepal, is a small landholder having 0.33 hector of land which is not termed as irrigated land literally. There is no any irrigation cannel near his farm. In his locality there are about 28 other people who are like him. Under some technical aid and management training by SECARD Nepal (a non-governmental organization) and District Development Office (DADO) of Chitwan district they have constructed artesian boring under the financial aid of DADO. Now they are able to give life to their crop and thus they have boosted their living standard. Before this cooperative Gurung’s family should have to engage with other off farm activities to sustain. But the condition has been reversed. Now he can at least run his family quite easier than before.

Discussion forum and sharing:

Ranamaya B.K (a so called low caste women), member of Dharmodaya cooperative, collect some part of her income in monthly basis in the fund of cooperative. Through this fund she can get credit in low interest (i.e. 1.5% per month).Before this she used to pay 2.5-3% per month to money lender. She has three goats in her house along with some poultry. These goats have been brought by taking loan from cooperative.

Twice a month all members gather in a ‘Chautari’(a place where stone are paved near banyan tree) to discuss method of cropping, fertilizer application, paste and disease and their  control measures, irrigation methods and so on. In coordination with DADO various agricultural trainings are being conducted. Government of Nepal provide subsidy in fertilizer and seed to poor farmers by the channel of cooperatives.

Path to success

A cooperative in rural areas is key part in minimizing poverty and inequality, import substitution, export promotion, employment generation and promotion of social justice harmony. This farm organization plays an important role to seek the market for marginalized and small farmers. Individually these farmers produce a relatively few product which is insufficient for market. Thus cooperative collects their products and collectively sent them for market. In Nepalese contest top 5% of owners control about 40% of cultivated land while the bottom 60% control about 20% and cooperative can boost up living standard of these 60% people.