The Land of Medicine Buddha Farm
Medicine Buddha
OneWorld’s works nucleus is a model biodynamic farm, The Land of the Medicine Buddha, located in Gorkha district. In 2005, it received for the first time the Demeter International certification, the world’s only quality standard for biodynamic products. The farm develops on 7 ha of land, laying in a lush and fertile valley in the banks of the Marshyangdi river. The farm is an economically modern, sustainable project to which everyone can contribute.
The Land of the Medicine Buddha is a centre for learning about methods of biodynamic farming for both Nepalese and foreign volunteers. Most of the farm’s workers are local people from disadvantaged ethnic groups, such as the Kumal and the Chepang. Most of the farm’s workers are women who are paid same wages as their male counterparts. Since 2007 at the farm we receive young volunteers who have been contributing to its development with valuable new ideas.
Kalpana Lamichhane
The Land of the Medicine Buddha is an important centre for agricultural development in Nepal where more than 75% of the population is engaged in farming. The farm uses locally adapted cropping techniques, producing high quality products fitting the western organic markets. The work at the farm has been very successful till today and the bio-dynamic models applied in it can now be implemented also in other parts of Nepal. Once a products is developed and it shows positive feedback from the market, the cultivation models used are transferred to smallholders farmers groups through training courses.
The Land of the Medicine Buddha
Development support: With financial support from the German Investment Corporation (Deutschen Entwicklungs-Gesellschaft, or DEG) OneWorld entered a private partnership program with the German company Pharmos Nature in 2003-04 and was thereby able to install irrigation and plant processing equipment at the Land of the Medicine Buddha. The processing equipment helps the farm to better meet the quality requirements of western markets. Private partnership programs are designed to help the development of local companies hence helping Nepal’s growth.
Facts & Figures
1996 Search for the farm location begins
1997 Purchase of the land in Gorkha District.
1998 Start of the horticultural initiative.
1999 First construction activities – creation of a barn and cottage.
2001 First exports of products to Germany.
2003 Demeter certification by Demeter International.
2004-2005 Implementation of private partnership program (PPP).
2005 Production focus on cultivation of medicinal herbs.
2007 First training of partner farmers on the farm.
2009 First on-site production of biodynamic preparations.
