Say the word 'disaster' and what comes to mind? An earthquake, a drought, a flood, a tsunami, a hurricane? These are big and brutish events. They grab headlines, inspire people to donate, and trigger international relief efforts.

But what about the many micro-disasters that can, at any time, befall poor families across the developing world? For those who live on a perpetual economic knife edge, even a small misfortune or an unexpected turn of events can devastate their hopes and dreams.

Let's turn to Thimi, a tiny village in the ancient valley of Bhaktapur in Nepal - a nation that sits in the shadow of the Himalayas and is among the world's poorest. An overwhelming majority of its 30 million people rely on farming to subsist - often on fragmented, hilly and marginal land where weather and other conditions are subject to extremes. In this rural society, a family typically measures its wealth in the number of animals it keeps.

For years, Rajesh Ghimire and his wife, Sharadha, worked hard to build up a modest herd of 45 cows, goats, and buffaloes. The farm was generating enough income to raise their two children, support four other relatives, and even pay six workers to help out. The Ghimeres had their eyes fixed on better times ahead, and were saving to send their daughter, Ekta, to medical school.

Then, their own micro-disaster struck. A series of heatwaves triggered an outbreak of the disease, anthrax. Almost half of their animals were wiped out and, with that, most of their dreams. The money that had been put away for Ekta's studies had to be used to save the farm. Seven years later, the family is still trying to claw back what it lost.

Microsoft Corporation published this content on 19 October 2017 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 19 October 2017 19:51:04 UTC.

Original documenthttps://news.microsoft.com/apac/features/saving-farming-families-tech-one-cow-goat-buffalo-time/

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