Tricho-vermicompost helps Nepali farmer thrive.

Meet Chetan, a farmer from Nepal.

Chetan runs a small farm. Like many farmers in his region, he faces a chronic shortage of fertilizer. Fertilizer he needs to help his dragon fruit trees grow and produce more fruit. With the support of iDE Canada donors through the Paul Polak Innovation Fund, three community-managed projects began producing tricho-vermicompost (a nutrient-rich compost made from a combination of plant material, earthworms, and beneficial fungi called trichoderma). Farmers add this compost to the soil as fertilizer, which helps their plants grow and produce more fruits and vegetables that they can sell and make more money for their family.

Chetan used this nutrient-rich compost and saw his production of dragon fruit double. He even had enough fertilizer to grow an additional crop of marigolds – a popular flower used during festival season in Nepal.