Shova’s Journey
USAID’s holistic approach empowers Nepalis on their development journey
We met Shova Khatri in her village of Charkune. Every morning she takes the same journey, starting at the top of the hill and making her way to the markets where she sells her produce. Today, she is taking a detour as she shows us around the village, highlighting the progress the community has made, and how USAID’s holistic approach for sustainable progress has benefited the village as a whole on their development journey.
Like so many of the 80 percent of Nepalis who rely on agriculture, Shova grew just enough crops to feed her family for four months a year. For the remaining months, the family had to depend on wages from casual jobs and they struggled to survive. Shova’s husband went overseas in search of work but had little success and eventually returned home.
She then moved to the Surkhet District of Nepal with the goal of providing her daughters with better opportunities and education. In 2015 she received training and equipment from a project through Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative led by USAID. After the training, she started to produce and sell more vegetables, tripling her income.
At first, she received a weighing scale and a bicycle.
“With a bicycle, I am quite confident to travel far to sell more vegetables. I now sell 100 kilograms of vegetables per day reaching about 55 customers, whereas before getting a bicycle, I used to struggle to sell about 50 kilograms of vegetables per day.” Shova Khatri
Demand for her vegetables — including carrots, cauliflower, and cabbage — increased. So Shova had to grow more. She then received training on improved techniques to boost her yields.
“I learned the skills of vegetable production and improved post-harvest practices to maintain the quality of my vegetables. I also learned business skills to market and sell vegetables, bargain, and negotiate prices.” Shova Khatri.
With the additional income, Shova expanded into mushroom farming. She shares what she learned on farming and marketing techniques with other women in the village who as a result have also increased their incomes.
“I can now afford school fees for my daughter, fulfill all our basic household requirements, and save the rest in the bank for our future well-being.” Shova Khatri.
USAID’s holistic approach empowers Nepalis on their development journey, as it partners with Nepal for sustainable progress.
Shova recalls the hardships after the 2015 earthquake which devastated Nepal, killing more than 9,000 people and damaging more than 890,000 homes.
Immediately following the earthquake, USAID provided more than $64 million in life-saving humanitarian assistance, supporting Nepalis’ emergency shelter, food, water, sanitation, and hygiene needs.
In 2018 alone, farmers supported by USAID programs increased their sales by $14 million, or the equivalent of $206 in annual income per household. Increased incomes, complemented by nutrition education and access to quality health services, enable families to escape poverty and thrive.
Shova wanted to give back to her community, especially other women in her village who experienced similar struggles. She taught 60 women vegetable production, business, and marketing skills that she learned from the Feed the Future training, mentoring them until their own businesses began to blossom. As a result, these women have doubled their daily sales of vegetables.
With better income, the village women can buy more nutritious food for their families. USAID improves health and nutrition behavior, and access to nutritious food.
Shova is proud to send her children to school. USAID supports this village school through the Early Grade Reading Program.
The kind of agriculture-led growth that Feed the Future catalyzes is making a big difference, helping communities to build their resilience, securing the gains they have made, and keeping them out of poverty. USAID’s efforts are empowering women and youth, who are often the drivers of economies around the world, and ensuring children get the right nutrition they need to reach their full potential.
Watch Shova’s story here.
Check out more video portraits at USAID’s storytelling hub. Learn more about USAID on @USAIDNepal, @USAIDAsia,@FeedtheFuture, and @USAID.
About the Author
Sahar Kalifa is a Senior Communications Advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs.
