BPP Partnership Impact Series: Boosting sustainability, skills and income for local small hold farmers in Nepal

Since its launch, the Business Partnerships Platform (BPP) has worked with ambitious partners to deliver meaningful, lasting change in communities across the world. Our BPP Partnership Impact Series celebrates outcomes and lessons from our partnerships, highlighting their contributions to inclusive economic growth, resilience and sustainable development.

We begin the series with our COVID-19 Recovery partnerships in Nepal, which concluded in 2024. These partnerships were established in response to the urgent social and economic impacts of the pandemic and have delivered valuable results across healthcare, livelihoods and supply chains.

Growing a fair, sustainable farming future

This innovative BPP partnership between DV Excellus Pvt Ltd, Upaya City Cargo and the Australian Government has given small hold farmers in Nepal the power to improve their farms, business and consumer base with a touch of a button on their smartphone.

The Kheti app provides an integrated solution for low-income farmers, with translated educational materials on modern sustainable farming practices, access to affordable loans and links to high-quality supplies. Farmers can list their produce for sale on the app and be connected directly with customers and suppliers, helping them better market their wares and obtain a fairer wholesale price for their goods. 

By the time the partnership closed in 2024, it had supported over 18,000 farmers to increase production to more than 12,000 tonnes of food, for local suppliers. Through this, Kheti has helped increase participant’s average net income by almost AUD $9000 each year. More than 2,000 farmers had been shown to have adopted climate-resilient practices including improved irrigation because of the partnership.

While the BPP partnership has formally concluded, the initiative continues to help farmers to thrive – increasing income, skills and quality local food for thousands of people across Nepal.

About the partnership

While 60 per cent of Nepal’s workforce is engaged in agriculture, it only contributes 25 per cent of GDP, reflecting the impact of outdated practices, lack of access to markets and lack of technology.

During COVID-19, returning migrants and border closures meant there was increased demand for locally sourced food, providing an ideal opportunity for growers to find new markets.

The partnership has been supporting smallholder farmers to learn and use better farming practices – improving soil quality and reducing reliance on synthetic pesticides and fertilisers.

The partnership also gives farmers access to a new sales channel, connecting them with consumers and a means to increase their income, especially for women and people from disadvantaged groups. This creates jobs and greater food security for low-income families.

Impact

During the BPP partnership period, the impact included:

• More local jobs: reaching 27,711 small hold farmers though the project and increasing income for more than 18,000 people.
• Greater food security: more than 12,000 metric tonnes of food listed by farmers in the Kheti app, compared to just 60 tonnes previously. 
• Sustainable farming practices: more than 3,000 farmers trained in soil testing methods to reduce overuse of chemicals and improve environment.
• Greater equity for women: 7,195 female small holder farmers benefiting from the Kheti platform, with 4,796 reporting an increase in their net income by an average of around AUD $8,900.
• Accessible, quality supplies: loans for more than AUD$500,000 approved to help farmers invest in necessary farming equipment and further boost production.  

Growing greener: Riper financial future for farmer Phulmaya

The partnership has completely changed the life of 35-year old Phulmaya Tamang, who has used the Kheti platform to take her humble tomato crop to a whole new market.

Battling rising cultivation costs, low local prices and irregular income periods, Phulmaya was struggling to support her family.

Keen for a change, she took Kheti’s courses in digital literacy and soil testing, before installing the Kheti app on her smartphone.

She was amazed to find and order all the supplies she needed at a reasonable price without haggling, needing to visit different vendors at the market or negotiating delivery fees. Hassle-free access to finance allowed her to easily buy tunnel plastic, netting, compost and quality seeds.

Using the educational resources on Kheti, she was also able to learn about improving soil quality and pest control, improving her yield.

With some support from the advisor service, Phulmaya used Kheti’s consumer platform to sell 23 tonnes of tomatoes in 2024, fetching a price up to 20 per cent higher than when she only sold to local collectors. The increased income has given her greater financial freedom and pays for her children to receive education at a nearby boarding school. Phulmaya is now planning to expand her farm and purchase a mini tiller to help production.

View the full partnership impact story below or download here.