A New Hope from the Soil: Leki Dakpa’s Journey

Every morning, 31-year-old Leki Dakpa steps into his small vegetable garden in Pongchaling village, under Ngangla Gewog, Zhemgang. Rows of green chillies and radishes now stretch before him, a harvest that carries more than food. Behind it is the story of a young man who discovered that the opportunity he had been searching for was always waiting in his own village.

After completing Class XII in 2014, Leki expected to find a job. Instead, he met a harsh reality: there were few employment opportunities. He stayed in his village and gradually took on the care of his family’s land, especially as his parents grew unable to do heavy farm work.

“My parents were not able to work, so I decided to continue farming and help them,” Leki said.

What began as a duty has become a conviction. For Leki, farming is no longer a second choice.

“For me, it is not necessary to find a job somewhere else. The job is in our village. We can earn from farming and support our family too,” he said.

In 2026, Leki became a beneficiary of the BRECSA project’s home garden initiative. The project provided a green net, seeds, and other essential farming materials that he could not have afforded on his own.

“As farmers, we need many things to work, but we cannot afford them. We need these materials, but we cannot buy them. I am really thankful to BRECSA for supporting us with the green net and other farming tools,” he said.

With this support, Leki established a thriving home garden where he grows vegetables such as green chillies and radishes. The garden puts fresh food on his family’s table, reduces their need to buy vegetables from the market, and has strengthened his confidence as a farmer.

Leki believes that the lack of affordable farming resources discourages many young people from taking up agriculture, even though farming holds the promise of both income and security.

“We, the youth, have to take care of our land. Our real gold is our own soil,” he said.

Leki’s story reminds us that hope does not always begin with a job offer in a distant town. Sometimes it grows from a small piece of land, the support of a meaningful initiative, and the determination to build a future right where home already is.

“Our real gold is our own soil.” Read Leki Dakpa’s story from Pongchaling, Zhemgang. Contributed by Sanam Jabchorpa, Yangchen.