Empowerment Through Agriculture: Singha Maya Tamang’s Journey

“My name is Singha Maya Tamang, and I live in Belaka-5, Salghari, Udaypur. I am 25 years old and have been married for seven years, with a family of nine members. I have been associated with the group formed by WN for the past three years. Before WN’s program, our community received no support from any organization, nor did we have any groups. We used to farm millet and maize, spending 1,000 rupees weekly on vegetables at the market.

Through WN’s program, we learned about savings and credit groups. Our facilitator, a sister from the neighboring community, helped us form a group and start saving monthly. Gradually, we learned about vegetable farming, preparing organic fertilizers and pesticides, and using local seeds over hybrids. Besides agricultural skills, we also learned about personal and household hygiene and sanitation. Now, I have a dish drying rack where I keep my washed utensils to dry in the sun, ensuring they are sanitized.

There is a long list of things my group members and I have learned from the WN’s program, such as financial literacy, nutrition, menstruation hygiene, and local poultry management. I now have a kitchen garden that supplies vegetables year-round, eliminating the need to buy them. I regularly prepare and use my own fertilizers and pesticides. With improved goat sheds, agroforestry, and livestock management knowledge, I gained the confidence to increase the number of goats I raise.

The training in commercial vegetable farming taught me to use simple technology, like plastic tunnels, to grow off-season vegetables, providing a good income. I now earn between 500 and 2,000 rupees ( $3.75 – 15) weekly from vegetables. Since I started earning, my husband has returned from foreign employment. Initially, I was very shy about selling vegetables in the local market, but our WN social mobilizer encouraged my husband and me to overcome these limitations. Eventually, my husband started taking the vegetables to the market, and buyers began visiting our farm to purchase directly.

Excited by this success, we decided to expand our commercial vegetable farming to all our land. Being part of the group has brought about a significant change in me. I used to be shy and hesitant, but now I can speak with confidence. We used to be extravagant, but after attending financial literacy classes, we understand how to save effectively. I have proper knowledge about nutrition and preparing nutritious, homemade balanced meals.

I have two children—a five-year-old son and a five-month-old daughter. The income from my first tunnel of vegetables was around 40,000 rupees ($300). Now, I plan to set up two tunnels, aiming to earn 80,000 rupees ($601) from off-season vegetables. This is how I plan to increase my income and continue improving our family’s well-being.

Through the World Neighbors program, not just I, but my entire community has changed .”