Biodynamic Farmer from Nepal

I meet Sudarshan Chaudhary, a 33-year-old farmer from Nepal. On the Paris metro during the UN Climate Talks, COP21, I overheard him talking about a new type of organic farming he was using on his farm, biodynamic farming.   Intrigued, I introduced myself and quickly learned more about how Sudarshan was adjusting to climate change. He is incorporating new natural methods to increase productivity on the farm- like using small ponds to collect rainwater and cow dung as fertilizer. Below are two segments of Sudarshan telling his story.

A little more about him: After talking a class from a New Zealand farmer, he learned different practices of biodynamic farming and changed his traditional synthetic –based pesticide farm into an all organic farm that works with natural cycles. He then started to teach seminars in his village. His community didn’t believe him that cow dung would lead to just as productive soil as fertilizers. But he gave it to them to try and the villagers found that it worked miracles. He is now trying to build the momentum in his community by “making youth circles” where the young farmers can lease land in their community for community-based biodynamic farming. Ultimately, his dream is to start a School of Farmers.

Sudarshan believes that cows are necessary for agriculture because they provide “dung” for an alternative, all-natural, fertilizer—compost, and his community uses the manure for bio-gas to supply electricity to more than 40 households in his village. 

Sudarshan recalls that after talking a class from a New Zealand farmer, he learned different practices of biodynamic farming and changed his traditional synthetic –based pesticide farm into an all organic farm that works with natural cycles. He then started to teach seminars in his village. His community didn’t believe him that cow dung would lead to just as productive soil as fertilizers. But he gave it to them to try and the villagers found that it worked miracles. He is now trying to build the momentum in his community by “making youth circles” where the young farmers can lease land in their community for community-based biodynamic farming. Ultimately, his dream is to start a School of Farmers.