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One Project, Two Families: A Tale of Resilience and Renewal in Nepal

The daily lives of two women from Dang and Surkhet districts in Nepal show how one project continues to shape futures.

By Asian Development Bank

March 6^th, 2026

The Raising Incomes of Small and Medium Farmers (RISMF) project is still shaping lives, years after its completion.

Two women share how their livelihoods have grown more stable, their incomes diversified and their lives more resilient.

FROM VILLAGE HIVES TO NATIONAL MARKETS: MOTI HAMAL’S JOURNEY

In Dang District, Moti Hamal begins her day overseeing honey orders bound for markets beyond her village. What began as a small household activity has grown into a business supplying honey across Nepal.

Her family business began in 1998, producing 100 kgs of honey annually and selling it locally. Processing was done by hand, volumes were limited, and access to larger markets was out of reach. Growth was slow, and income modest.

Moti Hamal, owner of Sworgadwari Bee Concern Private Limited.

Moti Hamal at her office in Dang district, managing Sworgadwari Bee Concern.

Investing in scale and quality

That all changed with the ADB-funded RISMF Project, which ended operations in 2021.

The project gave Moti’s business access to finance, training, and modern equipment. She invested in a dedicated honey production center in Tulsipur, a major market town in Lumbini Province.

One Project, Two Families: A Tale of Resilience and Renewal in Nepal

Manual extraction, filling, and packaging were done using modern equipment. The changes saved time, improved quality, and made larger scale production possible for the first time.

Today, Sworgadwari Bee Concern Private Limited produces around 1,000 kg of honey annually. It now supplies markets as far away as Kathmandu and Pokhara.

Work that creates jobs

As Sworgadwari Bee Concern has grown, it has created job opportunities for local people.

The enterprise now provides jobs to 15 workers, including women, in harvesting, processing and packaging. Rising demand for processed honey has created spillover benefits, supporting collectors, hive producers, queen bee producers, packaging material suppliers, transport operators, and retailers.

Looking ahead

Today, Sworgadwari Bee Concern supplies honey across Nepal and there’s rising recognition of its quality and consistency. Looking ahead, Moti sees the next step clearly.

“In the coming days, our goal is for Sworgadwari’s honey to be known as Nepal’s honey and to reach overseas markets,” she says.

Moti Hamal overseeing production and quality control at Sworgadwari Bee Concern.

Lab workers of the Sworgadwari Bee Concern controlling quality of honey at the Sworgadwari production center .

FOOD, GUESTS, RESILIENCE: JAYKALA’S JOURNEY

Jayakala Tharu’s day starts at dawn with a check of her vegetable crops, feeding chickens, and preparing meals for guests at her homestay in Birendranagar, Surkhet District, Karnali Province. Farming, livestock rearing, and hosting visitors are not separate activities for Jayakala. Rather, they’re a connected livelihood chain that sustains her family year-round.

For years, Jakayala’s work quietly supported her household. Like many Tharu women, one of Nepal’s indigenous communities, her agricultural knowledge was deep, but income was seasonal and uncertain, shaped by weather, market access and limited finance.

Jaykala Tharu works at her vegetable garden in Birendranagar, Surkhet, Nepal.

Jaykala Tharu stands in front of her homestay in Birendranagar, with her husband, Amar Bahadhur Thakur.

Helping women’s businesses through cooperatives

The turning point for Jayakala’s business was her affiliation with a cooperative. With support from the ADB-financed RISMF project, the Akakrit Organic Karnali Livestock and Agriculture Cooperative helped women members like Jayakala access affordable loans, quality seeds, and technical advice.

Jaykala walking through her vegetable gardens.

Jayakala was able to invest in plastic tunnel farming. The tunnels protect crops from weather and pest and disease shocks, extend the growing season, and make production more predictable – something she had not experienced before. Jayakala was able to invest in plastic tunnel farming. The tunnels protect crops from weather and pest and disease shocks, extend the growing season, and make production more predictable – something she had not experienced before.

Growing more, earning more

Today, Jaykala operates three plastic tunnels producing tomatoes, coriander, cauliflower, spinach, beans, and other vegetables. Together, they yield around 3,500 kgs of vegetables each year, generating a steady source of income rather than seasonal returns.

More reliable income from vegetable farming has allowed Jaykala to meet daily household needs and reinvest in livestock rearing using better quality feed. Better feeding and care have strengthened the productivity of livestock such as poultry, adding another source of income and providing food security for her family.

“Before, I carried vegetables to the market in a doko [traditional basket],” Jayakala said. “Now buyers come to the farm.”

What was once only a production site has become a point of sale – saving time, reducing transport costs and increasing earnings.

Jayakala harvesting tomatoes grown in plastic tunnels.

Jayakala tending poultry at her home in Birednranagar, Surkhet District.

Adding value through agrotourism

As farm income stabilized, Jayakala moved up the value chain by expanding into homestay, transforming her agricultural produce into higher value services. Vegetables and livestock produce from her farm are used to prepare meals for guests, reducing costs while offering fresh, seasonal food.

Agrotourism, agriculture and livestock now work together – diversifying income and spreading risk.

Meals prepared with farm grown vegetables for homestay guests.

Jayakala’s vegetable plots and homestay.

Building resilience at home

These changes have transformed Jayakala’s family fortunes. They can afford medical care, children’s education, improve their home, and save for the future.

What began as seasonal farming has evolved into a diversified livelihood – managed jointly by Jayakala and her family – that provides year-round income and confidence in the future.

Footnotes

Photos by Narendra Shrestha

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FootNotes

Photos by Narendra Shrestha