Project Summary
This project aims to enhance the nutritional quality of mid-day meals for students by replacing junk food with locally produced organic farm products. Additionally, it seeks to transform schools into community learning centers, providing educational resources and fostering community engagement. By securing a stable market for the organic produce of local farmers, the project will generate sustainable income for these farmers. Furthermore, it will promote the use of electric cooking methods to reduce reliance on biomass and LPG, contributing to a more sustainable and eco-friendly environment.
Project Manager
Country
Nepal
Status:
ongoing since 2024
Budget:
10 000 €
Partners
Rapunzel One World Organic Foundation
Project goals
Providing hygienic organic food items in the mid-day meal for 83 students
Providing capacity building activities to the 150 students to develop learning center in the school
Supporting and sensitizing to the 28 farmers nearby the school to increase the organic agriculture production
Promote electric cooking in mid-day meal preparation to minimize the current use of 7.2 tons of firewood and 86.4 Kg of LPG per year
This project is managed by Bhav Narayan Jha, who completed his Master degree in crop science from the University of Hohenheim, Germany in 2015. Since then he got actively involved in different projects related to climate change and agronomics in his home country Nepal. Bhav is driven by the desire to transfer the knowledge and skills he gained in Germany on improved and climate-smart agricultural practices to marginalized and rural farmers, who are especially vulnerable to the climate crisis. The income from farm activities of these rural smallholder farmers remains low, despite the potential markets within the community. In 2021 Bhav founded his own Ngo and named it “Peoples Access to Adequate Natural Infrastructures” (PAANI, which means water in Nepalese language). Together with his team of community workers and interdisciplinary graduates, some of them also alumni from German universities, he developed the idea to link these farmers with the canteen of a local school, creating a circular economy that benefits both students and farmers. Students could receive healthy organic mid-day meals, while farmers gain a regular income. Additionally, the unhealthy and costly use of biomass and LPG for cooking should be replaced with electric cooking.
In September 2022, Bhav heard about the work of Weltweit through the Uni Hohenheim alumni network and he immediately got connected with us through the Action Network Worldwide, our international platform where we discuss innovative projects and explore various funding opportunities. He participated in two of Weltweit’s online workshops where he had a chance to refine the concrete steps of his project.
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Children suffering from malnutrition is the main cause of mortality and morbidity in Nepal affecting their long-term physical and mental growth. As such, the government of Nepal introduced mid-day school meals programs in the school sector development plan (2016-2022) to reduce malnutrition. The current taste for junk food with additives has degraded the health of local people, students in particular. The inclination of students towards junk food has increased recently. The targeted school in our project also provides mainly raw noodles for mid-day meal due to resource constraints (Only NPRs. 20 = Euro 0.13 per meal), potentially leading to health concerns of different intensities
Kalidhunga Higher Secondary School in Nepal, serving 83 students from classes 1-6, currently provides government-funded mid-day meals that mainly consist of noodles and other imported items cooked over firewood. These unhealthy meals contribute to various health issues among students, while the use of firewood exacerbates deforestation and environmental degradation. Meanwhile, the nearby Golma Devi Farmer’s Group, comprising 28 farmers, produces diverse agricultural products but struggles with market access and income generation.
This project aims to integrate community institutions to address these issues. At the school level, students, teachers, and parents will receive training on organic farming and clean energy through workshops, exposure visits, and provision of necessary materials. Establishing an organic farm and an electric cooking system at the school will transform it into a community learning center. The primary objective is to provide hygienic mid-day meals for students by sourcing organic food items from local farmers. This will secure a market for the farmers’ products, promote the consumption of healthy local foods, and reduce meal costs by cutting transportation expenses. Additionally, replacing biomass and LPG with electric cooking will foster an eco-friendly and healthier school environment.
At the farmers’ group level, capacity-building activities will support increased organic production, ensuring a stable income through regular supplies to the school canteen. These farmer groups will not only act as suppliers but also provide a platform for students and teachers to gain practical farm-based knowledge, fostering a collaborative learning environment.
