Testimonials - Liebeth Heshof (Belgium)

Setivalley Integrated Organic Farm

General information;
The Seti-valley organic farm is an immense and fantastic project, especially when it is compared with the other `traditional`-style organic farms of Nepal. It is very professionally run and very efficient.Here the people really know what they are doing, they have thought about the techniques, the methods, planning and working together.

There are 5 constant workers who live on the farm and in total an average of 10-15 daily workers, who stand all in close contact with Mr Puspa who gives them daily instructions and feedback.
The workers (and possible volunteers) function as a community: there are collective working times as well as tea-breaks, and everybody returns to the village after finishing the work. There is a vast differentiation in the crops as well as the farming area as the livestock. Everywhere are irrigation-canals and contact with `living`-water, there are trees and plants who use the vertical space and provide also shadow. Home made organic fertilizers from animal secretions and herbs are used as well as compost and vermicompost. Experiments are carried out with planting in a growing-house and with non-indigenous plants such as strawberries and other kinds of berries and with developing areas of permaculture-land.

Personal impressions:
The environment is extremely beautiful and peaceful. You feel just on an island high above the 2 rivers, with everywhere green tropically grown hills and if you are lucky a view on the snow peaks behind.
 I got very clear and complete introductory information on arrival at the office of SADP and was personally `delivered` at the farm. The accommodation is more than good enough. It is a home stay in the house of the farmer family, so you eat breakfast and dinner together with the family and a workers-style lunch at the farm. Drinking water is available on both sites. On the farm there is not a toilet yet, which is not a big problem just something one needs to know.Everybody is very friendly and helpful and they do leave you enough personal room for if you should need it. Also special requests for a task or something that you want to see or learn at the farm are always possible. On all questions I got a clear and often practical answer.I could stay now only 2 weeks, but it would be interesting to stay longer because you really get more into the functioning and rhythm of the farm and there are so many different tasks to do and experience. I learned a lot here, even with having already some volunteering experience on different farms in different counties. For me the working days where quit heavy, in the evening I was really healthy tired when returned at the home.

Suggestions:
A toilet on the farm would be nice: Nepali style with pit in the ground would be just fine.Because of the long working days in which you can only enjoy the beautiful settings for limited periods of time and for the special relation when working with and in nature, it might be nice to have an opportunity to stay on the farm grounds and enjoy the atmosphere and maybe do some relaxation or meditation

Liesbeth Heshof
Belgium
lheshof@hotmail.com