Ginger Survey in Taranga, Surkhet—the lifetime authentic experience

The experiences I accumulated at a place called Taranga of Surkhet District are embedded deep in my heart. 

We were in Taranga, with a team from Harvard Kennedy School’s Evidence for Policy Design, to survey ginger farmers.  The journey through the woods of Bardiya National Park towards Taranga village was not that easy. Looking at fresh paw prints in the mud, we would walk silently in hope of sneaking a peak of a tiger. Reminiscing on hearing elephants’ trumpet still sends a chill thrill through my spine.

After 4 hours walking through the jungle we started a tough, 5 hour uphill climb. We Nepalese were accustomed to walk on such trails but the unnatural moves of our Harvard teammates had us alert, ready to catch them if they lost their balance. Heavy rainfall added to our misery and made our journey even more difficult. Water streamed through the small trails, making them slippery and reducing the grip of our shoes on the mud. Finally, we neared our destination; catching sight of some portion of the house where we were to stay during our visit.  As we all sighed with relief, CONNECT team member, Rajendra slipped badly through the bushes; he wearily stood back up and mumbled sadly “what a fate to walk the whole way safe and finally to fall near destination”.  Luckily, he wasn’t injured. 

The long day, scorching heat and curvy trails had drained us all. But, the warm and sweet welcome of the landlord helped us forget our exhaustion and the tiresome journey, to some extent.

Despite the feeling of drowsiness, I woke up the next morning ready to embrace my responsibility without any hesitation. It was my first time professionally interviewing programme beneficiaries and I had a little nervousness and jumpiness but I found resolve by making myself believe - mistakes are milestones upon which to improve.

We walked towards the village to meet farmers; I could see new excitement on the faces of our Harvard colleagues to finally have the opportunity to meet local people.  We interviewed several farmers in the village. At times it was difficult to understand some of the words and language spoken by farmers, but the former CONNECT Coordinator, Binod was there to help and encourage me throughout the survey, it went well.  The survey confirmed our understanding that ginger farming is the main source of income for most of the farmers. Prior to their agreement with RAP3 CONNECT’s partner Organic Mountain Flavor (OMF) farmers used to sell ginger to local traders. Usually, two to three traders visited these farmers every year, but last year no traders came. Since signing an agreement with OMF the villagers have not sold their ginger to other traders. They seemed happy to have OMF’s satellite processing facility in their village and moreover, they were happy that with the arrival of the processing facility they no longer have to carry ginger to the road head to sell it. 

When we introduced ourselves as representatives of RAP3 CONNECT, the farmers immediately identified RAP as the organisation who builds roads. When we confirmed we were part of the same programme, they asked with hopeful eyes if we were to build roads in their village as well. I felt a pinch in my heart. It was not an easy life for the people of Taranga village; the nearest market required almost a day long walk along the uphill and downhill trails of Bardiya National Park. I was in dilemma to whether curse at such hilly topography of Nepal for making life of many Nepalese people hard or to praise them for signifying the beauty of the country in the world. We shared hopeful gesture on their questions and informed them that we weren’t from construction department of the company. We walked ahead for our work bidding byes to those innocent faces.

Our work done in Taranga village, it was time to depart. Though our stay was short, fresh air, water and people’s warm love and respect had stolen our heart. With heavy heart, we parted from the villagers making promise to grab any opportunity to visit this place again. We had to face heavier rainfall on our way back. Binod was worried about the Harvard Team. He was constantly taking care about the safety of team and guiding all of us to prevent from falling sick or getting injuries. In one moment, I felt so hopeless when one of the team member genuinely asked about the chances of survival while climbing down the steep hill in that torrential rainfall. I couldn’t do anything except pretending cool by mocking her: “no need to fear, when I am here.” Fortunately, we safely reached Surkhet bazar and our happiness was boundless.  Before we left for Kathmandu, the Harvard team threw a small party for us. It is a fun memory. Though we had met only few days earlier, we felt as if we had known each other for years. With the promise of meeting again, we went our separate ways.

Undertaking these surveys in Taranga and Sahajpur and working with a team from Harvard was really a great experience. I am very happy to have had the opportunity to meet ginger farmers in both places.  I would not have the same understanding of ground realities if I stayed in Kathmandu only reading reports of others’ experiences in the field. Furthermore, I am happy to have learnt about ginger and ginger farmers but I am equally sad knowing the hardships they face. I hope in coming days farmers’ prospects and incomes will improve.

Safe landing at Taranga village through those challenging uphill and downhill trail will always be my unforgettable life time experience.