CHITWAN: A hand tractor has yet to reach Kanda in Chitwan, where the Chepang community resides. The residents are forced to walk for over two hours from the nearest vehicle-accessible point. However, for the first time, the Chepang community has managed to bring a hand tractor to the village.
The arrival of the hand tractor, meant for plowing fields, has astonished the locals. Sita Bahadur Chepang, president of the Miteri Farmers’ Group, expressed that the whole community was overjoyed with the tractor’s arrival.
He explained, “When the youth go out to work, only the elderly and children remain in the village. The tradition of raising cattle is also declining, leaving the fields barren. Now, plowing is much easier with the hand tractor.”
Kanda, located in Rapti Municipality-13, is one of the most remote places in Chitwan. The area, still without electricity, is a two-hour drive from Bhandara on the East-West Highway to Bhanjyang.
From there, it takes an additional two hours on foot to reach Kanda. The hand tractor was brought to the village on Saturday, with all the villagers involved in carrying it.
Fifteen years ago, eight members of a family in Kanda died after consuming wild mushrooms. Since then, transformation efforts have been underway with support from various organizations.
The Chepang community, who once relied on wild tubers for survival, has increasingly turned to agriculture for their livelihood. Chairman Sita Bahadur believes the hand tractor will significantly aid in making agriculture a more commercial profession.
Local farmer Krishna Bahadur Praja said that seeing a tractor for the first time in the village felt like entering a new era. He lamented the lack of attention from the state to Kanda, which is lagging in development.
The hand tractor was made possible with a 50% grant from the Agricultural Development Office and 50% support from the Central College of Bharatpur.
Farmers in Kanda, which is home to 65 households, are part of the Miteri Farmers Group. Agriculture is also being carried out on land belonging to the Kandeshwari Basic School, where vegetables and grains produced are used to feed the Chepang children studying in the hostel.
Balkrishna Thapaliya, principal of Kandeshwari Basic School, explained that the hand tractor will serve both the farmers’ group and the school’s hostel. He noted that its arrival will greatly assist farmers in plowing their fields and boosting agricultural production.
“We are connecting the Chepang children studying here with agricultural production,” Thapaliya said. “Through them, the parents are also becoming more interested in farming.”
Yagya Bilas Poudel, principal of Central College, expressed his happiness at being able to assist the underdeveloped Chepang community.
He emphasized that transformation for the Chepang community can only be achieved through cooperation and support from both the state and the private sector.
Ramesh Kumar Poudel, chairman of the Miteri Foundation and a long-time journalist in Kanda, facilitated the provision of the hand tractor. He explained that the Chepang community had been relying on traditional farming methods for years, and the initiative to bring in a hand tractor was aimed at easing their agricultural challenges.
“Even if the farmers wanted it, their financial situation would not have allowed for such a purchase,” he said. “We sought help when we couldn’t raise the 50% grant money needed for the tractor.”
Poudel emphasized that the living standards of the Chepang community could be improved through agriculture and called for greater attention from state agencies. The farmers in Kanda cultivate crops like maize, millet, fenugreek, and vegetables. The area’s cold climate is also suitable for growing seasonal fruits.
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