Second in a series of guest posts by winners of IFPRI’s My Food, Our Future short video contest for young people. Read the first here.
When I was 12 years old, my grandfather asked me to go farming with him. I remember waking up before sunrise, picking up the Nepalese traditional hand tools for tilling corn and going outside into the crisp air with five other farmers. As we headed towards the farm, I saw the first rays of the sun, rising from the Himalayas. For the next eight years, I saw similar sunrises as I went farming with my grandfather every season. There, I learned of the techniques and instincts of a farmer, but also the problems and politics surrounding agriculture. My childhood has led me to find a purpose in studying agricultural science so that I can help farmers like my grandfather, as well as the environment in which the farmers work.
The atmosphere and amity of agriculture has always drawn me to this sector. But I began to realize that there are some aspects of the industry that needed to change. For example: We need to care more about our soil health on a practice level, and we need to be more technical and sustainable in getting higher yields while we’re at it. This realization motivated me to pursue a Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture at the Agriculture and Forestry University of Nepal. Here, I am learning about many issues that threaten agriculture and food security, but also advances in technology and research that have made great strides for efficient production.
I applied this classroom knowledge first-hand during training with Caritas Nepal, where our group of seven students conducted a research project on the effectiveness of biological pest management practices. Our work showed that the majority of farmers were applying toxic chemical pesticides and herbicides that caused harm to consumers’ health as well as to the environment. In addition, while going through many research papers about food insecurity and lower productivity in Nepal, I found that the majority of food was lost before reaching the consumer’s plate. This is one reason why 20% of the very poor Nepalese spend 73% of their income on food—making it harder to escape poverty—and 33 out of 77 districts are classified as food insecure.
This experience moved me to enter the My Food, Our Future short video contest, because IFPRI—a global institution whose mission to provide research-based policy solutions that sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition—exactly aligns with my mission in life. In the video, I explore all of these issues and describe my project, a Farmer Field School to educate young people on sustainable agriculture.
I am now interning with the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project in Sindhupalchowk, Nepal, talking with farmers, extension workers, and government officials about the complex agricultural issues in the area, so we can work together to make production more sustainable. I enjoy listening to farmers to understand where their discontent for certain agriculture policies comes from; I feel that the field of agriculture needs more people who are able to both teach and listen.
While my bachelor’s program and various international events such as the 2019 Youth Agriculture Summit in Brazil have contributed to my understanding of the need for sustainable agriculture production and consumption, I know I need further training and expertise. Now, I hope to learn more about the international governance and policy processes that guide , as well as community-based management practices, so that I myself can work and empower more young people in the fight to eliminate the most pressing issues in the planet: hunger and poverty.
Grace Tiwari is a student at the Agriculture and Forestry University of Nepal.
