News
Researcher aims to help farmers in Nepal
Julie Harker interviews Ramesh “Ballu” Balayar in the Brownfield Ag News studio
An Iowa State University post-graduate student will soon be researching opportunities for small farmers in his home country of Nepal.
Ramesh Balayar is pursuing his PhD in rural sociology in ISU’s ag life sciences college. He tells Brownfield Ag News his research will focus on promoting crop diversification among small landholding farmers in poverty stricken areas of Nepal, “These small farmers,” he tells us, “Instead of growing wheat and rice that barely sustains them for two to three months for these small farmers – my idea is you know, how do we encourage them – their behavioral change, to go from traditional farming to some modern farming?”
Balayar says more high value cash crops include coffee, tea, herbs and produce. But he says a major barrier in Nepal is the high social status of traditional farmers, “So, people don’t want to buy rice from the market, instead they want to grow rice. Those that grow rice and wheat, they’re considered to be higher people. Their hierarchy is up in the society.”
Another challenge, he tells Brownfield, will be bringing people together and making sure there is a market in which Nepalese growers can sell those high value cash crops which will help the growing need for food security.
AUDIO: Interview with Ramish Balayer during a visit to Brownfield/Learfield with company founder Clyde Lear:
I wish all the very best for your research.
Appreciate that you are focusing in mountain and hills for your study. I hope your hypothesis “don’t want to change the crop pattern” will be nullified.
Yes, herbs and Coffee and Tea are most suitable high value cash crops. Please see more opportunities to sell these crops in the in the international market.
Wishing all the very best,
Gobinda