Off the Swivel Chair

Taking a break from the desk and chair, and entering the field, for a change. The field gives you fresh smell, inspires you and helps you strengthen your horizon, beyond the four walls of your office space and beyond the virtuality of the internet.

After merely a couple of weeks into a Shinghadurbarian research task and I had already felt like a Shinghadurbarian. Placed in a moderately facilitated spacious room, from 10 to 5, trying to create some magic formula for the whole country, but, distant from the reality of the soggy field, inside the walls of “Singhadurbar”.

I was not comfortable. I had to see the land being ploughed, feel the soil and inhale the air in the woods.

Begnas Coffee Farm, Lekhnath, Kaski:

The view of Begnas Taal from the Begnas Coffee Farm/Photographer: Sujan Adhikari

Consultation with some industry experts on the best business practices at the local level led me to Pachhvaiyaa, a couple of kilometres to the east of Pokhara.
Mr. Arjun Lamsal, the owner of the Begnas Coffee Farm, was engaged in agro business for many years.

The traditional method of subsistence farming that was going on for generations did not yield much economic reward for the family.
“I knew that I had to change my traditional mindset if I am to become a professional in this field”, said Mr. Lamsal, “I decided to have commercial orientation in cultivating Coffee- a realm in which I had some basic knowledge back then.”

He began coffee production at the small plot of land at this home. The fresh cherries of coffee from his garden would be sent to pulping centres in nearby town. And that was it.
In order to reap maximum benefits from coffee cultivation, he knew that he had to move forward in the value chain. But his scale of production was too low.

Mr. Lamsal, then, led the integration of the whole community in the coffee supply chain. He helped his fellow community members, right from planting the coffee to plucking fresh cherries after a couple of years.
“The cultivation of coffee by the whole community increased the supply of coffee cherries, which helped us move forward in the value chain”, Mr Lamsal says.

In the process of empowering the community, Mr. Lamsal empowered his family members as well. His wife and son currently manage the various aspect of the business operation, while Mr. Lamsal is more engaged in external affairs. I was pleasantly surprised to learn and see the leading role played by Mrs. Lamsal in managing the affairs of the firm. It is not often that we get to see women leading businesses, and that too in rural Nepal. Lamsal family is a perfect example of changing times in Nepal.

With the support of various government and non-governmental agencies, they were able to set up a pulping centre at their firm.
They have grown a lot since; from fresh cherries to dry parchment, green beans and finally, roasted bean, they do all the major work involved in the coffee supply chain at their own firm. They’re trying to make Begnas Coffee farm a mini resort. That would provide visitors an opportunity to learn about the other side their favourite hot drink.

The view of calm Begnas, over the coffee shrubs, seen through the window and, weather permitting, the sight of the majestic Himalayas, the mini resort would be an oasis of serenity to the people from a bustling city. Add the hospitality of the Lamsal family to that, “the mini-resort would be a mega hit” is hardly an overstatement.

On my way back to Pokhara that evening, I could not stop thinking about the wonders that Lamsal family had achieved. An enterprise entirely profit-oriented which has not only helped the family earn profits but also has had a large impact the whole community!

Income of the Lamsal family has gone up, and so has the income of their community members, engagement of women in entrepreneurship and leadership, poverty reduction, gender empowerment, equality – add your own labels to the story. The Lamsal family are an enterprise producing wonders in Nepal. I wonder what the situation will be if more Arjun Lamsals come up and more Begnas Coffee Farms are able to reach their actual business potential!

Later that day, over the evening tea I met a couple of journalists in Pokhara. I shared my thoughts on the power of entrepreneurship, to bring equality in the society and to bring progress. Sensing my eagerness to see the wonders in entrepreneurship, the journalist friends referred me to another community-based farm in Baglung. Some excellent works were being initiated in the district, with a potential to bring massive progress in the whole community.

I couldn’t wait to meet them. I made arrangements to travel to Baglung the very next day. As I went to sleep, I had a sense of comfort in my mind, something that I would not have experienced had I limited myself to the swivel chair at my office.
Nepal is changing and towards good.

((Hopefully) To be continued…)

Author: Sujan Adhikari is a Daayitwa Summer Fellow 2016 working with the Trade and Export Promotion Center, Ministry of Commerce.

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Social Innovation Exchange

          Social entrepreneurship is a fast growing movement going on today world-wide. Social entrepreneurship simply means using business practices for the greater good of the society. And founder Director of Women Development Advocacy Center, Mr. Nanda Kishor Mandal  knows it pretty well. He is also the conference coordinator of 2016 International conference on social entrepreneurship event that happened on june 30 – july 1. The event was organized to bring academicians, investors, entrepreneurs and students into a single platform to discuss about the growing need of social entrepreneurship in Nepal.

          Social innovation, similarly, is an event for sharing innovative ideas and solutions to neglected social problems. This time it’s not about networking and talking but actually creating practical solutions for the good of the society. Mr. Nanda Kishor Mandal has been working for entrepreneurship development in Nepal from grassroots level, conducting programs and events.

            An event such as this is very necessary, especially for Nepal. Nepal has faced quite a lot in past two years and has faced lots of economic downfalls. People who were already in difficult position faced major infrastructural crisis when Nepal faced fuel crisis. Not just in Nepal but throughout the globe it has played major roles. In the United Kingdom, initiatives such as Big Society have been designed to find and scale up the best social innovations. And in Japan, social innovation are rapidly taking root in the rebuilding efforts following the 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster, which left immeasurable destruction on the country’s physical, cultural, and socio-political landscape. Africa similarly has taken huge leaps in social and economic growth  in last 10 years through social innovations (note: to know more, read the article "path to a new Africa" in ssir.org). Amazingly, it is considered one of the fastest growing continents after Asia. Nepal, in the same way, needs to go through change for economic uplift through social innovation exchange.

             However, I know most people would consider this to be an event for small minority of people and does not mean much for the society. Whether or not they are something for a small minority of people, they are prompted by motivations that most people can personally relate to: to be an active member of society, to take part in social activities, to spend time with like-minded people, to reduce the environmental impact of one’s life, to care for others, and - in the case of downshifting - to have a better work-life balance.

              Lastly, social innovation exchange is a great podium for young students who are smart, driven and motivated for creating change. But that being said, it does not mean it is not for like-minded but lost and curious persons. But I do feel that everyone in the society wants to be more than just consumers. Everyone wants to be appreciated as a person, feel pride and dignity in what they do and this is something that cannot be bought in the market place. Social innovation exchange is such a platform where you are appreciated and have a chance to be part of something bigger that contributes to the society. With this, we, general public here have a chance to address the social problems and suggest possible solutions that can act as a framework for the better change tomorrow.

              Personally, I am definitely going to attend this program. And I can’t help but suggest that to those who have ideas and want to make change. The program is going to be held in Pokhara for a whole week starting august 21. 

For any details and queries you can contact  wdacnpl@gmail.com 

+Bnay Shrestha  - Music enthusiast, blogger, Business student  

Creating Entrepreneurial Mindset

I feel much closer to our country, Nepal, our people with their story of struggle and success, and our cultural and geographical diversity, than I had ever felt in my life as I write this blog. I got a chance to pursue an adventurous journey to the hills of Palpa, Gulmi, and soon I will be on my way to Ramechhap as a part of  Daayitwa- Nepal Public Service Fellowship Summer, 2016. 

My ongoing research on social enterprise in Nepal, especially in Ramechaap, and interaction with entrepreneurs in Palpa and Gulmi often the target groups brought to attention the fact of how similar training provided to target groups have harmed the local economy. When a community is composed of people with similar skill and training, they start similar enterprises which often create harmful competition between them as was the case of Palpa long ago.

The story of Palpa took place in between the year 2048 to 2050 B.S in a village, named Madan Pokhara.

As usual, a few men were having a tea talk in chautari on a bright sunny day. In between the conversations, one of them started complaining about the same curry, gundruk, he has been eating for the past 3 to 4 days. One by one, all of them voiced out that they have been also eating gundruk in their houses. While investigating the matter, they found out that other vegetables have not been available in the local market for the past few days. They also came to know that their vegetables were always imported from Butwal and Bhairahawa. Since there was a landslide on the way to Palpa, vegetables were not being transported to the local market.

The lack of self-reliance even to fulfill the basic need, hit them so hard that they decided to grow their own vegetables. However, due to lack of proper planning, most of them started growing the same vegetables. Soon, a fight ensued about individuals about who could sell the products in the market. By the end of the year, 17 families in the villages stopped talking to each other.
Learning from the disharmony, the villagers decided to grow different vegetables. They marketed and sold the vegetables among each other and with the neighboring villages. Their vegetables found a loyal market.

This story tells us about the importance of planning training programs by studying the value chain of the enterprise eco-system and researching about how the skill will add value to it.
I also came across people who pointed out the lack of education base and practical uses of business theory among social entrepreneurs. From the conversations I had with entrepreneurs, I realized that rural entrepreneurs have very limited knowledge on market research, the system of demand and supply,and other business tools.

Let me share with you a story of Bishnu Devi Gaire, one of the top forty entrepreneurs of Palpa. She had received a training on cow-rearing despite not being the cow farming business. Six years after her training, she received a training on saving and investment. This was what Bishnu had required the most before starting her venture. At presents, Bishnu wants to expand her business for which she needs a training on market assessment and risk management.

Now imagine if she had received all the necessary training on entrepreneurship. How big would her enterprise have been by now? Maybe she would have been one of the top entrepreneurs of Nepal.

The other problem our entrepreneurs face is the access and usage of modern technology and the ways of sharing the resources to make their enterprise self-sustaining. The lack of ease of access to technology has resulted in their businesses getting overstepped by national and international monopoly markets.

To address this situation, it is important to design a social entrepreneurship and innovation course. Such a course would greatly benefit the rural people which would help them to decide on their field of interest and the ways they could expand their existent business. They would be updated about the progress and innovation based on which they can construct their own project, identify the problematic issues, assess the market, identify the stakeholders and use other business tools for the sustainability of their enterprises.

Such interventions establish a base for people to start their own enterprise by which they can provide for their family, engage their community in enterprise promotion and build community-run enterprises.

As part of my research work, I recently attended a training organized by Heifer, 'Heifer's Cornerstone Training." My interactions with the rural entrepreneurs and various stakeholders made me realize that in order to conduct any skill based training or allocation of work in any sector, you have to have cornerstones. By cornerstones, I refer to the need to develop the sense of self, build self-reliance, develop the nature of sharing and caring, establish gender equity and be accountable towards our responsibility, community and surroundings.

Once such concepts of cornerstones are developed in the stakeholders, any training or jobs or skills development will bear the fruit of success and will be self-sustainable.

Author: Triveni Chand, Daayitwa Summer Fellow 2016

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