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In the Himalayas, Money Grows on Trees

How can that be?

Dear friends,
dear Back to Life sponsors,

the saying that money doesn’t grow on trees isn’t true everywhere. In the Himalayas, a young woman is currently rewriting it: Mohana Baniya, 27 years old, mother of a small son – and by now the successful owner of the first fruit-tree nursery in the mountain region of Khatyad in Mugu.

Planting the Future Together

“I tend every little seedling each day with the same care as my son,” the hard-working young woman reports, full of enthusiasm.
As part of our income-generation programmes in the high mountains, Back to Life has been planting fruit trees together with mountain farmers in Mugu since 2020 – by now more than 26,000 apple, lemon and walnut trees. Our agricultural technicians pass on their knowledge to the farmers in months of on-site training: from composting and mixed cropping to natural plant protection, storage and marketing. In this way, 750 families who had never grown fruit before have been able to open up new and lasting sources of income. The fruit also contributes directly to better nutrition for the families. Fresh fruit that once had to be transported into the mountains at great expense from the lowlands, from India or China, now grows locally at 2,000 to 3,000 metres – affordable and sustainable.

By setting up local tree nurseries, we are taking the next step towards less transport, more climate protection and more personal responsibility. The number of fruit trees in the mountains will keep growing – and with the trees, so will the opportunities.

During our agroforestry project in Khatyad, a motivated young woman caught our eye who was ready to invest her energy and perseverance in building up a tree nursery of her own. Supported by Back to Life, Mohana took on this pilot project with us – with simple means and under the expert guidance of our agricultural technician Maya Aagri.

Sustainable Ideas Take Root

In her very first season, Mohana raised 4,000 lemon seedlings – and sold them at a profit. Beforehand, she had developed a sustainable business plan with our agricultural technician. She is investing part of the proceeds directly in the next planting cycle and in buying another water tank. “I want our life to grow a little every year through the nursery – just like the lemon trees,” she says hopefully.

Her success goes far beyond a one-off financial gain, because it stands for a new beginning and for empowerment. From now on, Mohana can finance and secure her son’s schooling herself. She makes all the business decisions independently, from caring for the plants to selling them. In doing so, she becomes an inspiration for other women, breaks up patriarchal structures and shows new paths with her success story.

In a region like Mugu, where women rarely own land, hardly ever own property and are mostly left on the economic sidelines, she proves that change is possible – and worthwhile, too: Mohana’s income is now well above the national poverty line that once applied to her as well. She no longer depends on whether her husband finds seasonal work in the lowlands or in India and can send money home. The 4,000 young lemon trees are currently being planted out across Mugu. Every seedling shows how sustainable ideas can take root – and how, with the right support, women can take their lives and those of their families into their own hands.

Let us plant prospects together! With your project sponsorship, we can accompany many more women on their way.

Become a project sponsor now ➤
With warm wishes for the bright full moon in August,
Yours,
Stella Deetjen