Farming was very challenging for Pulti’s family. Living in the hills of Bajura district in western Nepal, they could only grow enough food for half of the year, so her husband went to India for seasonal work.  

In 2022, a landslide damaged their home and forced them to move to a new area, so they lost their land. Eventually, they were granted access to some land, but it was still not easy to grow crops – they struggled with regular droughts and didn’t have the agricultural knowledge and skills to overcome the challenges. 

Things changed when Pulti joined a local self-help group created through INF’s IDEAL project. She spoke up at a group meeting to raise the issue of people affected by the landslide, including her own family. 

The project team and group members agreed to equip Pulti to improve her family’s livelihood. INF UK donors made it possible to provide Pulti with polyhouses (to protect her crops all year round), starter seeds, and materials to construct a water tank for irrigation, as well as some training on cultivating different vegetables.  

Now, Pulti has started to grow cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables. She started with nothing, and with a little support and training has become the group’s lead farmer and has already sold crops for NPR 100,000 (about £600).  

Women in this rural area rarely have a chance to take the lead, but Pulti changed her family’s lives. Her husband no longer needs to go to India for work, and now works alongside his wife on the farm. Their eldest son has gone to work abroad, but avoided needing a loan thanks to the family’s new income.  

Pulti said: “Not only have we started earning money, we have changed our food habits too. Now we are eating fresh, nutritional vegetables, and selling them at market too.” 

A small amount of initial help and training can transform a family’s future forever.