Farmer to farmer video at the Himalayan Permaculture Centre - Photostory

Introduction

Nepal is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change experienced through recurrent natural disasters such as floods, landslides and droughts. The majority of the working population are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. Subsistence agriculture is often practiced by rural communities who often rely on the climatic conditions and traditional farming practices. In the past years, changes in the climatic conditions such as warmer winters, changing rainfall patterns and warmer temperatures have greatly affected agriculture productivity and disrupted the planting seasons leading to crop failure and food shortages.

To build a community that is more resilient to the impacts of climate change and improve the livelihoods of rural communities in the Surkhet region, innovative and creative ways are needed to communicate action that supports sustainable and resilient livelihoods in the long-term in the face of uncertain climatic conditions, especially in rural deprived areas. 

The Himalayan Permaculture Centre (HPC) works to support people in ten rural villages by promoting no-or-low cost, locally appropriate techniques that have the potential to improve livelihoods. In February 2014, an action research project was undertaken to explore if a farmer-to-farmer mediated extension model, based around the production and dissemination of videos featuring local farmers and HPC staff, could effectively support HPC in their mission.

The following movie uses participatory video and photostories as tools to promote peer to peer learning among farmer groups in the Surkhet region regarding permaculture farming techniques and the use of improved cooking stoves, which minimize the risk of respiratory diseases and use minimal firewood, decreasing the pressure on forest resources in the area.  

Participatory video promoting permaculture techniques