AAA
The organic farm was started in 1987 by Judith Chase, an American woman who, liking the area, decided to settle there and grow organic vegetables. When AAA was established as a not-for-profit NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) in 1990, the farm relied heavily on external funding, which came mostly from Canada, Germany, and the United States. During her eight year stay on the farm, Judith trained over forty local women in organic farming methods, brought in milk cows, and greatly expanded the variety of vegetables grown. Many of the women she trained still sell their produce through AAA. Judith also trained individuals from NGOs and expatriates’ gardeners. When she left, the farm and its management went through what the current director calls a “chaotic period”, where different people headed the organization, and business declined. When Silvia LaFranchi from Switzerland stepped in as director, she put major efforts into further expanding the variety of food offered, marketing AAA, building contacts with restaurants, and setting up delivery to consumers. Happily, the farm revived.
The farm, whose property is on lease, now provides employment to eleven staff. Three of the staff members are women, and four live on site with their families. The wives of three farmers take care of the guesthouse, which brings additional income to the farm. At any one time, there are five or six workers tending to the farm. Workers earn a minimum monthly salary and receive a percentage of the profit that AAA makes. Dutch national Silvie Walraven, a former VSO (Volunteer Services Organization) volunteer for community development work in Nepal, has been AAA’s director (a voluntary position) for the past two years. The first year, she lived on the farm; she now lives in Kathmandu. Working with Silvie, also voluntarily, is Annick Monbaron from Switzerland, who now lives on the farm and takes care of marketing and accounts. Annick had previously been working in Nepal on a Swiss firm’s road construction project.