In rural Nepal, 38-year-old Bin Maya has transformed her family’s future through vegetable farming. She lives with her husband, two sons and a daughter. For years they relied on small plots of maize, wheat and barley that barely fed the family.
Two years ago, everything changed. With our help, Bin Maya learned how to grow higher-value crops including peas, beans, onions, garlic, cabbage and cauliflower. She was the first in her village to try this approach. What began as a small trial became a turning point: she now earns around 1.5 lakh rupees a year and belongs to a group of 81 trained farmers, with more neighbours beginning to follow.
We supported this shift with new infrastructure. Water once meant long, painful hours of carrying heavy loads from a source 5 kilometres away. A new pipeline now feeds three water harvesting tanks that store and distribute water for irrigation. Meanwhile a new veggie cable car helps move produce and supplies along steep terrain, cutting the back-breaking effort that once limited farming.
Bin Maya has also built new skills and confidence. “Before, I didn’t even know how to write my name,” she says. “Now I can use digital tools, farm independently and even advise my husband.” She laughs as she explains how neighbours now seek her guidance on planting and marketing crops.
Her success has reached beyond her own land. Out of 242 households, 200 now grow vegetables and earn from agriculture. Crops once limited to staples have been replaced or supplemented with mushrooms, spinach and other vegetables that bring higher income. Farmers share knowledge, support each other and plan improvements together.
“I’ve been able to teach others what I’ve learned,” Bin Maya says. “Together, we’ve changed our lives.”
