धनगढी ।  पाल्पाकी विपना खनाल कैलालीको टीकापुरमा रहेको प्राकृतिक स्रोत व्यवस्थापन कलेजमा कृषि विज्ञान विषयको अध्ययनरत छन । उनले अध्ययन सँगसँगै आफ्नो पढाइ खर्चको केही रकम आफैँ व्यवस्थापन गर्दै आएकी छन । कलेजमा अध्ययन गर्ने केही साथीहरूको समूह बनाएर च्याउ खेती गर्दै आएकी उनीलगायतका साथीहरूले खाजा खर्चबापतको रकम जम्मा गरेर च्याउ खेती सुरु गरेका हुन ।

‘भाडाको बसाइँ, सबै किनेर खानुपर्ने घरबाट पठाएको पैसाले नपुग्ने’ विपनाले भनिन् ‘च्याउ खेतीबाट थोरै भए पनि आम्दानी हुने गरेको छ । त्यो आम्दानीले आफ्नो खाजा खर्च व्यवस्थापन भएको छ । कलेजको अतिरिक्त क्रियाकलापलाई चाहिने रकम व्यवस्थापन हुँदै आएको छ ।’
समूहमा जोडिएका अछाममा रमेश साउँद मङ्गलबार र शुक्रबार कृषि हाटबजारमा व्यस्त देखिन्छन । उसो त उनिहरुले कृषि हाटबजारमा साथीहरूको पालो लगाएका छन । उनिहरु उत्पादन भएको च्याउ बिक्रीका लागि हाटबजारमा पु¥याउछन । उनिसँगै एकदुई जना अन्य साथीहरू पनि सँगै हुन्छन् । बजार मूल्यभन्दा १५ प्रतिशत सस्तोमा च्याउ बिक्रीको साइनबोर्डसमेत उनिहरुले स्टलको अगाडि राखेको हुन्छ । केही च्याउ बेच्न व्यस्त हुन्छन् भने केही आएका ग्राहकलाई कृषि तथा च्याउ खेतीको बारेमा बुझाउन पनि ।

प्रतिकेजी १ सय २० मा च्याउ बिक्री हुने गरेको उनि बताउछन । ‘बजारको समस्या छैन । उत्पादन भएको च्याउ सहजै बिक्री हुन्छ । हप्तामा दुई दिन कृषि हाट बजारमा ४० देखि ५० केजी च्याउ बिक्री हुन्छ’ रमेशले भने ‘आम्दानी भएको रकम समूहमा जम्मा गर्छौं । कलेजको अतिरिक्त क्रियाकलापका लागि खर्च गर्छौं भने बाँकी बराबर भाग लगाउँछौँ ।’ प्रतिव्यक्ति पाँच हजार जम्मा गरेर कलेजभित्रै उनिहरुले च्याउ उत्पादन सुरु गरेका हुन । प्लास्टिकको टनेल निर्माण गरेर सामूहिक काम गर्दै आएका विद्यार्थीले आफूले पनि तरकारी किनेर खानुपरेको छैन । बाँकी रहेको जमिनमा तरकारीसमेत विद्यार्थीले फलाएका छन् ।

आफूहरुको क्षेत्र पनि कृषि भएकाले सिजनअनुसार आम्दानी राम्रो हुने देखेपछि सामूहिकरुपमा काम थालिएको कुवेर जैशीले बताए । ‘आठ जनाको समूह बनाएर ४० हजारबाट च्याउ खेती सुरु गर्यौं । त्यसको परिणाम राम्रै भएको छ । एकातिर सिकाइ पनि भयो भने अर्कोतिर आम्दानी पनि’ उनले भने ‘उत्पादन भएको पहिलो लटको च्याउबाट हाम्रो लगानी उठेको छ । अहिलेसम्म तीन क्विन्टल च्याउ बिक्री गरेका छौँ । अझै त्यहीँ मात्रामा उत्पादन हुने आशा छ ।’

उनीहरुले च्याउ खेतीसँगै सिजनअनुसार अन्य तरकारी खेती गर्ने सोचसमेत बनाएका छन । बिहानको समयमा कलेजमा हाजिर हुने बिद्यार्थी समूह फुर्सदको समयमा त्यहीँ बारीमा व्यस्त हुनेगरेका छन् । फुर्सदको समयको सदुपयोगले सिकाइसँगै आम्दानी हुन थालेपछि अन्य विद्यार्थी पनि समूहमा जोडिन चाहेको अर्जुन सिग्देल बताउछन । ‘हामीले गरेको कामबाट हाम्रो समूह मात्रै सन्तुष्ट छैन । अन्य कक्षाका विद्यार्थीलाई सिक्ने अवसरसमेत मिलेको छ’ अर्जुनले भने ‘कृषिलाई आधुनिकता र व्यावसायिक कसरी बनाउने, कस्तो माटोमा के लगाउँदा राम्रो उत्पादन हुन्छ त्यसको परीक्षण गरेर कृषि गर्दै आएका छौँ ।’

यसभन्दा पहिले उनिहरुले फूल खेतीसमेत गरेका थिए । फूल खेतीबाट ५० हजार आम्दानी गरेको आशिष धामीले बताए । यस वर्ष फूल खेतीलाई बढाउने सोचमा विद्यार्थी समूह छ । उनले बजारमा फूलको मागलाई पूरा गर्न नसकिएको बताउँदै पाठ्यक्रमको अध्ययनभन्दा यस्तै कार्यक्रमबाट बढी सिकाइ हुने गरेको बताए । ‘फूल खेतीबाट पनि राम्रो उत्पादन गर्न सफल भएका थियौं । त्यो फूल खेतीले पनि हामीलाई थप कृषिमा लाग्न ऊर्जा दिएको हो’ उनले भने ‘आज राम्रो हुँदै गएको छ । अध्ययन सकिएपछि पनि कृषिमै काम गर्नुपर्ने हुँदा समूहलाई निरन्तरता दिने गरी काम गर्ने सोच पनि छ ।’ कलेजमा अध्ययन गर्ने अधिकांश विद्यार्थी टीकापुर बाहिरका छन् । सबै भाडामा कोठा लिएर बसेका छन् । घरबाट पठाएको पैसाले खर्च धान्न नसकेपछि उनिहरु कृषिमा आकर्षित हुँदै गएको बताइएको छ ।

रासस

Dhangadhi. Vipana Khanal of Palpa is studying agricultural science at Natural Resource Management College in Tikapur, Kailali. Along with her studies, she has been managing some of her education expenses by herself. Some of her friends who are studying in college have been cultivating mushrooms by forming a group.

Vipana said that the money sent from home is not enough to pay rent and buy everything. That income has managed their lunch expenses. The amount required for the extracurricular activities of the college is being managed.

Ramesh Saund, a member of the group, seems to be busy at the agricultural market on Tuesdays and Fridays. That’s right, they have taken the turn of friends in the agricultural bazaar. They take the produced mushrooms to the market for sale. A couple of other friends are also with him. They have also placed a signboard in front of the stall selling mushrooms at 15 percent cheaper than the market price. Some of them are busy selling mushrooms and some of them are also trying to explain agriculture and mushroom cultivation to the customers who come.

He says that mushrooms are sold at 120 per kg. There is no market problem. Produced mushrooms are easily sold. Two days a week, 40 to 50 kg of mushrooms are sold in the agricultural market. If we spend it for extracurricular activities of the college, we will share the rest equally. They have started mushroom production within the college by collecting 5000 per person. The students who have been doing group work by building plastic tunnels do not have to buy and eat vegetables themselves. Students have also grown vegetables on the remaining land.

Kuwer Jaishi said that since their field is also agricultural, they started working collectively after seeing that the income would be better according to the season. We formed a group of eight people and started mushroom cultivation with 40,000. The result has been good. On the one hand, there is learning and on the other hand, there is also income’, he said, ‘Our investment has increased from the first batch of mushrooms that were produced. We have sold three quintals of mushrooms so far. It is hoped that there will still be production in that quantity.

Along with mushroom cultivation, they have also thought of cultivating other vegetables according to the season. The group of students who attend the college in the morning are busy there during their free time. Arjun Sigdel says that other students also want to join the group after learning and making good use of their free time. Our group is not only satisfied with the work we have done. Students of other classes have also got the opportunity to learn’ Arjun said, ‘How to make agriculture modern and professional, we have been doing agriculture by testing what kind of soil produces good results.’

Before this, they also cultivated flowers. Ashish Dhami said that he earned 50,000 from flower farming. The student group is thinking of increasing flower cultivation this year. He said that the demand for flowers in the market could not be met and said that more learning is done through such programs than studying the curriculum. We were also able to produce good crops from flower farming. That flower cultivation has also given us energy to engage in more agriculture,” he said. “It is getting better today.

There is also an idea to continue working in the group as they have to work in agriculture even after completing their studies. Most of the students studying in the college are from outside Tikapur. All have rented rooms. It is said that they are attracted to agriculture as the money sent from home is not able to cover the expenses.

Rasas