DEVELOPMENT The word has always been chanted by world-leaders and change-makers as something positive – a gateway to improved living and the future – the one true way of launching ourselves into the future. This word resonates with me especially because I have been hearing it so much in regards to making my country Nepal better. Along with words like development, urbanization and advancement, which have all begun to sound the same.
But,
How has development served Nepal?
Haphazard urban planning, over-population, a large dip in agricultural jobs; all for the sake of development. Multiple buildings replacing the once open grasslands that I grew up in, tall buildings transforming into massive business empires (malls). We have always been disillusioned by this image of development, with no natural greenery, but with artificial colors splashed right before our eyes, rendering us blind and in awe of the so-called ‘future’ – I too was a victim of development.
When I first heard about “Green Tech” from Swechhya ma’am, I was skeptical and not so willing because while I knew the importance of nature, that was about it. Oftentimes I brush aside the concept of expanding further than my initial understanding, because a part of me doesn’t want to fully immerse myself in the existential questioning of the deterioration of our planet for any more than a second. However, when I reached home, I saw my parents working in our bari, a backyard farm. The image that always blended into the background suddenly came to life in full force. I whipped my head around the garden we always had, the green that always surrounded me since a young age, and something clicked inside of me. I decided to sign up for the Green Tech program. Also, the idea of international mentors and interacting with international students was a plus point.
Student teams from Germany, Poland and Nepal presenting their final ideas
The first class felt intimidating as we met with unfamiliar faces and unfamiliar voices of the international mentors and students. I admit it took me multiple tries to fully comprehend what they were trying to say. And time flew by so fast, before we knew it, we were already expected to choose our topic. All my life I grew up hearing that agriculture makes 75% of our income. And since my family and I have always had our roots in agriculture, the topic just seemed to hit home. So ‘Agriculture and Greenhouse’ became an obvious choice for me. I was then eager to see the people in my team, who were passionate about the topic. It was two fellows from Nepal and two other members from Germany and Poland. Unfortunately, the two international students dropped off the team and it was only us three Nepali trio.
We immediately started our research, and thankfully had an expert on agriculture in our team. The first step of our project was spent looking at many problems related to agriculture and greenhouse. While we were focusing on world data and looking at bigger problems, our mentors suggested we narrow down our problems and scope. We realized that we needed to look at the problems on a more regional level where we can actually connect with the stakeholders to understand REAL problems.
We began by conducting field research in Chundevi which lies in the outskirts of Kathmandu. One can find a wide range of traditional to modern farmers in Chundevi. We conducted interviews with the farmers, observed their practices, and analyzed the existing infrastructure and systems. The team then identified the most pressing problems faced by farmers and to prioritize areas for intervention. This led us to understand that ‘soil deteriorates’ due to overuse of chemical fertilizers.
In the entire project, one of the most enjoyable times was learning about processes like germination, fermentation, and niche traditional ways of farming, which we left in the name of development. Moreover, I wouldn’t have known about terms like hydroponics and data-driven farming, if it was not for green-tech. This also came with the startling realization of how in the name of development we have let nature die by the very hands that used to worship it.
The “Ideation” phase was our next step involving a lot of research and brainstorming potential ideas.With enough brainstorming with the team, we finally came up with the idea of ‘Organic fertilizers’ using the ‘Fermented Plant Juice Nutrition’. After the ideation phase it finally felt like we were moving somewhere. The prototype phase however was a different experience altogether. Bringing our product into life was nerve wracking especially for my teammate Biseshta and I – two girls who had no prior knowledge of agriculture, trying to navigate through agriculture terminologies, and working to create a product to solve a pressing problem. But the constant support from our mentor Swechhya Rajbhandary and Malgorzata really helped us to continue working harder and figuring out where we went wrong. So, after our third iteration, and what seemed to be our final attempt, we successfully brought our novice idea to life. In this phase, we faced a lot of our shortcomings while creatively or realistically expressing our ideas. It made us realize how all the international students had access to tools that we didn’t have here in Nepal to present our ideas in the most creative ways. And I also realized how self-directed learning has been severely lacking in us and our education in Nepal, as we tend to rely more towards the directions and approval from our mentors.
We finally achieved something with the prototype, and started our testing phase. Despite struggling, we managed to have fun regardless. We were reminded of how there needs to be a shift in mentality for our product to be accepted by large commercial farmers so we focused on small farmers and terrace farming. We met the framers again, showed them our product and tried to learn if they would switch to products like we made. The farmers seemed to love our idea and gave us ideas about customizing our NPK ratios, which was a breakthrough to make our product different from the ones that existed in the market. After refining our prototype, we worked on the aspects such as pricing and marketing. And finally we were at the end of our four months project! We didn’t ace our final presentation, as we felt there was room for a lot of improvements from our side.
As much as I wish to go back and put more effort in those aspects, I am taking back a huge amount of experience, and so much information from this four month project. I am taking back my ability to see the world through a lens of sustainability and reimagining what development looks like to me. This project has made me realize how development has impacted the way we live today, how bad mother nature has been treated by us for the sake of this future that we’ve constantly been talking about. Reimagining development is a must when it comes to a more sustainable future.
I am also taking back my ability to not be perfect but to keep on exploring and putting in the effort. I am taking back my ability to incorporate self-directed learning, and I am taking back an international follower on my instagram!
By Prashanna Thapa
BBA student
