Roots in Surkhet, Nepal - Increasing agricultural productivity of smallholder farmers
Turmeric and ginger have many health benefits and have been consumed for thousands of years. Both spices are high-value crops, and come from the part of the plant called the rhizome, a stem that grows underground. In this episode, Roots visited the Agriculture Sector Development Programme in Surkhet, Nepal. Over the past decades, IFAD operations have helped increase the productivity of small farms here by focusing on improved production of high-value crops, including ginger and turmeric. Roots spoke to Khadga Kumar Bhattarai and Sulochana Shrestha, two entrepreneurs who own a turmeric processing factory and a ginger processing company, respectively. The project has helped both their businesses grow by providing necessary training for farmers from whom they source their products.