Chitwan/palpa:, July 15 -- Farmers across Nepal, already delayed by a sluggish monsoon, are now scrambling for scarce chemical fertilisers as the paddy transplanting season gathers pace. But in parts of Chitwan and Palpa, a small group of growers has avoided the annual crisis altogether by abandoning chemical fertilisers and pesticides in favour of organic farming.

Their experience is increasingly being cited as evidence that Nepal's dependence on imported fertilisers can be reduced through locally available organic alternatives.

In ward 15 of Bharatpur Metropolitan City of Chitwan, farmer Chandra Prasad Adhikari is busy transplanting paddy on his four-and-a-half bighas (3.05-hectares) of land. While most farmers are worried about findi...