Turning the Tide: Kathmandu’s Women-led Wetland Restoration
In the ever-expanding Kathmandu Valley, a silent crisis is unfolding. The wetlands, once vibrant with life, are succumbing to the chokehold of an invasive plant: water lettuce.
Meanwhile, farmers in the surrounding communities are grappling with the widespread use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. These chemicals promise greater yields while causing long-term harm to soil quality and human health. Alarmingly, 37% of cancer patients in Nepal are farmers, reflecting the consequences of prolonged exposure to agricultural toxins.
A Community-Led Solution
Anu Rai and her team at Wetlands for Nepal along with Sustainability and Environmental Studies Endeavor (SENSE), took this complex challenge head-on. Rather than imposing solutions, they employed Appreciative Inquiry to engage with farmers, listen to their concerns, and co-create a sustainable path forward.
Farmers expressed a desire to transition away from chemicals but needed trustworthy alternatives. Simultaneously, the degraded wetlands required restoration. This dual challenge inspired WFN and SENSE to transform the invasive water lettuce problem into an ecological solution.
Through careful experimentation, they discovered water lettuce's potential as an organic agricultural input that could serve multiple purposes in crop management. The invasive plant showed promise as a biopesticide and biofertiliser.
The critical element was ensuring community ownership of the solution. Over 100 farmers received training in harvesting and processing water lettuce, learning techniques to create natural agricultural inputs that integrated seamlessly with their existing practices.
The Results
Women farmers emerged as leaders in this initiative. The first training session attracted 32 women and 1 man. By the second session, 27 women and 5 men participated, followed by 33 women and 5 men in the third session.
These women applied their new knowledge with remarkable results. Pest populations declined naturally. Crops flourished. Beyond agricultural benefits, the women gained confidence and agency as environmental stewards reshaping their agricultural landscape.
As water lettuce was converted into organic inputs, the wetland ecosystem gradually revived. The previously choked waterways began recovering their ecological function. Farmers reduced chemical dependency, yielding immediate health benefits while improving soil vitality and crop resilience.
The transformation extended beyond environmental impacts. Women who led these changes developed leadership skills and community influence. Their agricultural knowledge became a source of empowerment and social capital.
What Next?
The initiative continues evolving. The team's upcoming priorities include:
Scientific research to document which specific pests are controlled by the water lettuce preparations and analyzing their nutrient profiles
Expanding training programs to reach farmers throughout the surrounding region
Developing equitable market systems that ensure fair compensation for organically grown products
This ongoing project demonstrates ecological restoration alongside social transformation. As the wetlands recover their vitality, the farming communities—with women at the forefront—are pioneering sustainable agricultural practices rooted in local ecosystems.
This story is part of the ‘Green Economies, Powered By Women’ campaign by SHE Changes Climate to spotlight women entrepreneurs driving climate solutions in Brazil, South Asia, and Africa. You can read Roots of Resilience from Kenya and EcoSattva’s Blueprint for Environmental Renewal. Also read why green economies powered by women are the need of the hour.