Arghakhanchi, June 12 -- For years, farmer Hari Bahadur Tandan of Pawar village in ward 14 of Sitganga Municipality relied on chemical fertilisers to grow rice seedlings. Securing fertiliser was often a struggle, requiring trips to markets in Kapilvastu and Butwal.

This year, he did not buy a single bag.

Instead, he used organic compost and farmyard manure produced from fallen leaves collected in the nearby Pawar Community Forest.

Tandan cultivates paddy on about 0.5 hectares of land and says he has no intention of returning to chemical fertilisers.

"I will use compost made from forest litter throughout my fields, including the seedbeds," he said. "Chemical fertilisers produced around 1,5000 of paddy, but I expect even better yields f...