This Women’s Group in Nepal is Restoring Soil Health with Biofertilizers
In a small farming village tucked in Nepal’s hilly countryside, women in pink and red saris crouch in tidy rows of plump tomatoes, their hands feeding the soil. Nearby, a group of women—the Jwaladevi Women Farmer Group—gather in a circle around a pile of green leaves to prepare biofertilizers. One of them chops aromatic herbs—nettle, neem, and bitter Artemisia—while another stirs them into a muddy mixture in a large plastic drum. Older women sit cross-legged, observing the process with keen interest.
This simple practice of making bio-fertilizers using local resources, introduced by our partner BBP Pariwar, uplifts livelihoods, empowers women, and restores soil health—driving critical change in a country deeply affected by decades of chemical fertilizer overuse.
The hidden costs of chemical farming
South Asia is the second largest fertilizer consumer in the world. The use of pesticides in Nepal surged after the Green Revolution, with many farmers viewing them as the best way to protect their crops from pests. Initially promising quick results, agrochemicals (like pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers) gradually revealed their true cost: depleted soil fertility, water contamination, biodiversity loss, and serious health risks.
Prolonged use of agrochemicals is linked to respiratory problems, skin conditions, and chronic diseases, disproportionately affecting women who handle these inputs during planting and harvesting. Parbati Bhandari, a Jwaladevi Women Farmer Group member, recalls, “Due to the haphazard use of chemicals, we started having health issues. Our soil was degrading, and production was no longer reliable.”
But it’s not just farmers who are affected. Heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and uranium from agrochemicals accumulate in the soil and enter crops, creating toxic buildup — which later enters our bodies. And this problem extends far beyond Nepal. High concentrations of glyphosate, commonly found in herbicides, have been traced in processed foods in the US and Europe, as noted by a CALPIRG Education Fund study. Even the most dedicated organic food consumers are not fully shielded from exposure to harmful chemical residues.
Repeated fertilizer use also leads to soil acidification, nutrient imbalances, and declining soil productivity. Pesticides harm the microorganisms in the soil, decreasing their diversity and overall presence. This affects crucial natural processes, like the fixation of nitrogen and nitrification, which are essential for soil health, ultimately leading to poorer soil quality.
Recognizing the urgent need for change, BBP Pariwar began working with women farmers in many municipalities in Nepal to promote biofertilizers as a safer, healthier alternative for people and the land.



Making biofertilizers by harnessing local knowledge and resources
Biofertilizers contain microorganisms that nourish the soil and protect crops from pests. What sets them apart is their reliance on locally available resources, making them highly accessible for smallholder farmers. It’s an adaptable, cost-effective solution that promotes ecological balance and reduces reliance on harmful chemicals.
In a hands-on workshop led by BBP Pariwar, women learned how to prepare liquid manure (an organic fertilizer known locally as Jholmal), using everyday materials like stinging nettle, neem, Artemisia, cow urine, and turmeric. Here’s their secret recipe:

How to make biofertilizers
- Step 1: Select 30 kilograms of tender leaves and twigs from bitter, spicy, or sap-secreting plants such as neem, Artemisia, and chinaberry.
- Step 2: Chop the leaves finely and mix with 5 kilograms of cow dung and 5 liters of water.
- Step 3: Add 2 kilograms of garlic, Sichuan pepper, and other spices.
- Step 4: Place the mixture in a 60-liter plastic drum filled with cow urine. Stir weekly for 3 weeks.
- Step 5: Dilute the finished product before applying it to crops. Use a 1:7 ratio for young plants and a 1:4 ratio for mature crops.
Since biofertilizers are made from local materials, farmers can adjust each recipe to suit different climates and needs.
Community capacity building for collective innovation
Navaraj, our Regional Coordinator for South Asia, explains how the participatory learning model empowers women to lead change in their communities. “Women learn together how to prepare organic fertilizers and then replicate the process at home,” he shares. “Many farmers have experienced a significant increase in productivity following the women’s exemplary practices, as well as improved soil fertility, and reduced chemical pollution. It also lowers production costs because the ingredients are locally available.”
BBP Pariwar’s hands-on, collaborative approach encourages continuous learning and shared problem-solving. As women chop, mix, and stir their bio-fertilizers together, they form important social bonds, strengthening their collective voice to advocate for organic farming. When they return to their fields and share the techniques with neighbors, the knowledge spreads organically, inspiring fellow farmers to embrace bio-fertilizers as a viable, long-term solution to agricultural challenges.
Watch how adopting biofertilizers has changed women’s health and well-being in Nepal:
The road to soil regeneration with biofertilizers
Women farmers in Nepal show that an alternative to chemical fertilizers exists—one that values the long-term health of communities and the soil over quick fixes.
In our program areas in Nepal, switching to bio-fertilizers yields results within one to two growing seasons. Their long-term benefits are undeniable: improved health, resilient ecosystems, and sustainable harvests. It’s a case for slower, more thoughtful growth.
But scaling these successes requires collective action. Policymakers should promote and subsidize sustainable alternatives and educate farmers on balanced fertilizer use. Consumers, as drivers of demand, can push for agrochemical-free produce and agroecological farming for healthier, more nutrient-dense food.
As one farmer urges, “I would like to request everyone to prioritize bio-fertilizers instead of chemicals. It benefits our health, saves money, and protects our soil.”

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About BBP Pariwar
Boudha Bahanupati Project – Pariwar (BBP-Pariwar) works to improve the wellbeing of marginalized populations, especially women from the socially excluded Dalit class who live in the remote mountainous region of Central Nepal. BBP-Pariwar supports women and individuals in Nepal to restore and regenerate their land and their communities through agroecology and savings and credit groups.
BPP-Pariwar and Groundswell International focus on assisting women’s efforts to gain greater control over productive resources and decision-making in their households and communities, primarily through the formation of saving and credit groups. BBP-Pariwar uses the incorporation of small livestock into farming systems, agroecological training, distribution of native seeds, and model farms to improve agroecological transitions. Their goal is to support the transition to agroecology while improving household nutrition and access to nutritious crops/animal products.
Learn More: https://bbppariwar.org.np/
References
Agricultural Chemical Inputs: impact and management Strategies in South Asia. (2021). In K. Gyeltshen, S. Attaluri, & Md. B. Hossain (Eds.), SAARC Agriculture Centre. SAARC Agriculture Centre. http://www.sac.org.bd/archives/publications/Agricultural%20Chemical%20Inputs.pdf
Bisht, N., & Chauhan, P. S. (2020). Excessive and Disproportionate Use of Chemicals Cause Soil Contamination and Nutritional Stress. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.94593