Kanchanpur, Nov 11: The freed kamaiyas of Naukhari in Shuklaphanta municipality-8 involved in commercial vegetable farming have used the mulching technology to boost vegetable production. Freed Kamaiya Women Development Forum, Dhangadhi, provided training to the freed kamaiyas, the former bonded farm workers, who had been doing commercial vegetable farming in a traditional way, adopt mulching technology in vegetable farming. Outgoing Chairperson of the Forum, Kaushila Chaudhary, said they imparted knowledge to 25 freed kamaiya families do vegetable cultivation using mulching technology. "We made an arrangement of a technician and imparted training for vegetable farming in a modern way in order to improve income level of freed kamaiya families. Seeds, chemical fertilizer, pesticides are provided to them in subsidy," she said. This technology is capable for retaining soil moisture, said a local farmer Swostima Chaudhary. Most of the families involved in vegetable farming have been using mulching technology for radish, tomato and capsicum farming for the past three years. She shared that vegetable farming using this technology has started yielding twice as compared to cultivation done in traditional way. Chaudhary added that a family has now started selling vegetables worth between Rs 200,000 and Rs 500,000 in a season against Rs 50,000-70,000. Officer at Agriculture Development Section of the municipality, Binay Raj Joshi, said the use of mulching technology has increased rapidly among farmers in recent years. “This technology helps protect soil moisture, control unwanted vegetation, and increase crop production,” he said, adding that mulching plastic prevents soil moisture from evaporating, thereby reducing the need for frequent irrigation and ensuring efficient use of water. He further explained that it also blocks sunlight from reaching the soil, which suppresses weed growth, reduces labor requirements, and lowers production costs. According to him, crops grown with this technology tend to be healthier, as they benefit from balanced soil temperatures and are less vulnerable to soil-borne diseases and pest attacks. It also reduces farmers’ dependency on chemical fertilizers. Joshi added that the technology is highly beneficial for agriculture, as it minimizes the risk of fertilizers being washed away by rain or irrigation water and helps maintain soil nutrients. According to Forum Chair Seema Chaudhary, the Forum has been running vegetable farming, pig farming, and poultry farming programs for the past five years, targeting women from the freed kamaiya community. Just two days ago, 16 freed kamaiyas were provided with mulching plastic free of cost. Ward Chair Bahadur Singh Mahara expressed his happiness at seeing the freed kamaiya farmers making the most of their limited land through farming. “Previously, they relied solely on daily wage labor for their livelihood, but now many are engaged in vegetable farming, while others have taken up various skill-based occupations,” he said, adding that the ward also encourages freed Kamaiya to continue cultivating vegetables. ---