For Environment, Democracy and Livelihoods
“Soil is not just dirt, it is life. And when a community cares for it, the land and people grow together.”
In the hills of Ichhakamana Rural Municipality, Dhusa, the answer is gradually unfolding through the collective effort of farmers. Here, agroecology is not just a project intervention, it is becoming a shared pathway toward healthier soils, stronger local knowledge, and more resilient livelihoods.
Dhusa: A landscape of ecological fragility
Dhusa (Upper) is a remote settlement located in the steep northern hills of Ichhakamana Rural Municipality in Chitwan District. Reaching the village requires a 2-3 hour drive from Kathmandu along the Kathmandu–Muglin highway to Fishling, followed by a 1–1.5 hour uphill walk through Gurung Gaun (Lower Dhusa/Pipal Dada). Steep slopes, fragile land, and limited flat land (narrow terraces), this is the landscape that shapes life and farming in Dhusa.
Agriculture in Dhusa depends largely on monsoon rainfall, making farming highly vulnerable to climatic variability. Over time, local farming systems increasingly shifted toward Green Revolution based agricultural practices, including the extensive use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and imported seeds. While these changes were often adopted with the expectation of increasing production and income, they have led to declining soil fertility, erosion of soil biodiversity, increased production costs, and growing dependence on external inputs.
In such a landscape, soil health becomes central, not only to crop production but to long-term resilience and food security.
The Chepang community: Indigenous knowledge and changing livelihoods
Among Dhusa’s inhabitants, the Chepang community, one of Nepal’s most marginalized Indigenous groups, has a profound relationship with the nature. Traditionally living along the steep slopes of the Mahabharat range, they inhabit areas within Chitwan and Makwanpur, as well as parts of Gorkha, Lamjung, and Tanahun districts. Their language, culture, and knowledge are deeply rooted in the forests, soils, and ancestral practices of the region.
Historically, Chepangs practiced slash-and-burn (khoriya) farming, growing staple crops such as maize and millet, along with vegetables like yam and nettle, and fruits such as chiuri and banana. The Chiuri tree, in particular, holds special cultural and economic significance and it is also traditionally given as a marriage gift to daughters, ensuring long-term livelihood security. Chepang’s farming systems were closely connected to forest ecosystems and local biodiversity, and over generations they developed valuable indigenous knowledge related to seed selection, soil management, and ecological balance. Women, especially, have played a crucial role in preserving seeds and transmitting agricultural knowledge across generations.
However, with the shift toward externally imposed commercial farming systems, alongside changing socio-economic dynamics, has led to a gradual erosion of the cultural and ecological significance of Chiuri and other traditional farming practices. Despite these changes, khoriya lands continue to hold spiritual significance. Rituals like bhumipooja, kulpuja, and diyali reflect a sacred relationship with the land, while wild foods from fallow fields provide critical support during seasonal food shortages.
It is within this fragile, culturally rich, and marginalized context that Dhusa’s quiet transformation is taking root.
A Year of learning from the land of indigenous people
Dhusa is the current project site where ForestAction Nepal has been implementing the community-led Soil Restoration through Participatory Action Research on Agroecology initiative since mid-2024. This initiative brings together both Chepang and Gurung households, who share strong neighborhood bonds and longstanding social relationships. This close inter-community connection has created a supportive environment for collective learning, dialogue, and experimentation.Over the past year, farmers from both communities have embarked on a learning journey, testing, observing, and reflecting on agroecological practices directly in their own fields. Each experiment, whether in composting, mulching, preparing biofertilizers or biopesticides, or vermicomposting, has been an opportunity to understand their soils better, adapt practices to local conditions, and strengthen their sense of shared responsibility.These practices are not new to them, instead they are rooted in the farmers’ existing knowledge systems. The learning journey, however, has been about making these techniques easier, more efficient, and more effective in restoring soil health. Farmers have experimented with different proportions, improved preparation methods, and adapted practices to suit the steep slopes and fragile soils of their fields.This process goes far beyond technical training. It is a collaborative exploration where farmers are both teachers and learners, co-creating knowledge, observing outcomes, reflecting on successes and challenges, and continuously adapting their methods. They are not passive recipients of information but active agents of discovery, gradually building confidence in their skills and deepening their understanding of the living soil beneath their feet.
Through this ongoing journey, learning is as much about nurturing soil as it is about nurturing community, knowledge, and resilience, transforming both the land and the people who care for it.
Leadership from within: The voice of practitioners
At the heart of this journey stands Ms. Daman Kumari Chepang. Deeply rooted in her community and confident in her voice, she has emerged as both a practitioner and an advocate for soil restoration.
Through hands-on work in her own fields, she began to see soil differently. It was no longer just a medium for crops, it was a living system, full of life, nutrients, and possibilities. She closely observed how self-prepared compost, mulch, and bio-fertilizers impacted her plots, taking notes, reflecting on the results, and continuously adjusting her methods. Every success sparked excitement, every setback sparked new ideas.
Her journey inspired others. Farmers who had not directly participated in field experiments began to ask questions, visit demonstration plots, and engage in discussions. Daman Kumari’s reflections and confidence created a ripple effect, encouraging others to see themselves as experimenters and observers rather than mere recipients of instructions.
She gradually became a living example of the initiative’s core principle that knowledge is not handed down, it is grown, nurtured, and shared, just like the soil itself. Her leadership is quiet but profound, it lies in asking questions, testing ideas, listening, and helping neighbors interpret the results of their own experiments.
Through Daman Kumari and the emerging community leaders, it became clear that soil restoration is not just about enriching land, it is about cultivating agency, confidence, and collective wisdom. In Dhusa, leadership is not defined by a title, but by action, curiosity, and the courage to learn alongside others.
Reflection, realization, and collective action
In early January 2026, the community people gathered for their annual reflection meeting. They shared successes, challenges, and surprises from the past year. But the conversation went deeper than crops and yields. Farmers discussed how their understanding of soil had changed, how dependence on external inputs could be reduced, and how long-term ecological stewardship could strengthen livelihoods.
This reflection revealed a shift in mindset: farmers were no longer only implementing techniques; they were taking ownership of the process. They were ready to organize, experiment, and lead collectively.
The birth of the Community Action Group (CAG) –
Acting on this commitment, CAG was formally formed to carry the work forward. The group consists of nine core members, seven women and two men from Chepang and Gurung communities, farmers who have actively engaged in field experimentation and are motivated to support others.
Rooted in farmer’s experiences and local knowledge, the CAG now serves as a platform for:
For its members, agroecology is not a single technique. It is a way of farming that respects soil life, reduces dependence on external inputs, and strengthens resilience over time.
“Soil restoration is not just about the land—it is about the people who care for it, and the relationships that grow along with it.”
In Dhusa, soil, culture, and community are learning together. The journey is still unfolding. After just one and a half years, the experiments continue, the soils are gradually regenerating, and new questions keep emerging.
What has already taken root, however, is something deeper: collective confidence. Farmers are no longer waiting for solutions; they are generating their own. They are observing more closely, deciding more independently, and acting more collectively.
Local leadership, shared responsibility, and confidence in their own knowledge are already taking root.
The soil may take years to fully recover. But, this foundation of community-driven learning and action may prove to be the most enduring restoration of all.
