Farmers in Gulariya Municipality-5, Bardiya, are earning up to Rs 100,000 per month by cultivating crops on the unproductive riverbanks of the Babai River. This riverbed farming has transformed the economic lives of 27 families in Balapur, who are farming on 25 bighas of land.
Currently, they are growing sesame, leafy greens, sweet potato, gourd, cauliflower, and cabbage. In winter, they focus on watermelon, gourd, and bitter gourd. A local farmer, Gopilal Chaudhary, whose family has been farming on the riverbed for five years, reports an annual income of Rs 1.2 million from this practice. The seasonal and non-seasonal farming started after the monsoon floods of the Babai River turned the nearby land into a riverbed.
This initiative is supported by Practical Action under the Climate Resilience Program, which provides seeds, agricultural expertise, and technical assistance for irrigation and training.
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