Especially in low-income countries, chemical fertilizers and pesticides carry risks for those who handle them and those who consume the produce on which they are used. As important, they can be costly. Moving from subsistence to profitable farming means increasing output and productivity. It also means lowering costs. That's where organic inputs can make a large difference.
In Nepal's isolated mountain villages, jholmal is a homemade fertilizer and pesticide prepared by mixing and fermenting in a defined ratio locally available materials such as animal urine, water, beneficial microbes, farmyard manure, and leaves. Its pungent odor helps control insect pests that attack and damage crops and protects crops against fungal and other diseases. It also improves plant health.
An experimental study conducted on two varieties of rice in 2015 and 2016 compared productivity of jholmal and chemical fertilizers/pesticides. Farmers using jholmal experienced a significant increase in productivity compared to those using chemical fertilizers. They also reduced their costs by $200 or more on an annual basis. Increasing profit margins is the key variable that enables investment in plastic tunnel greenhouses and other low-cost innovations so family farmers can move from subsistence to sustainable commercial operations. In villages in Nepal, jholmal helps make that happen.
World Neighbors is the international development organization that works with local partners to train family farmers to produce jholmal and other low- and no-cost techniques to increase productivity and profit.
