At the entrance to an eco-farmhouse resort in Palpa, there is a stone inscribed with the words, “Kati baschhau sathi Europe ani Khadima! Sambhawana khojaun aafnai desh ko khet ani barima!”

Roughly translated, the appeal says, “Friend, how long do you want to stay in Europe and the Gulf! Let’s look for possibilities in the farms and fields of our own country!”

The owner of the farmhouse Samudra Ghimire Chhetri had dropped out of school and gone abroad because he couldn’t get a job in Nepal. After spending 12 years in Dubai, he returned home and started his own business.

Various messages are inscribed on the walls of his farmhouse resort. They reflect his deep concern over the rising exodus of youths seeking a better life abroad due to lack of opportunities at home, mainly because of political instability.

Records of the Department of Foreign Employment reflect the severe unemployment in Nepal. In the first eight months of the current fiscal year, 550,000 young people obtained labour permits to work abroad.

The country’s villages are emptying, and only children and the elderly are left in most families, migration observers say.

The farmhouse project in western Nepal has become a beacon of hope for many jobless youths.

Located 3 km south of Dumre Chowk in Tinahu Rural Municipality, the eco farmhouse at Deurali allows visitors to observe local farm life like herding cattle. River sounds and bird calls amplify the pastoral environment. At night, the resort is illuminated to create an enchanting atmosphere.

Chhetri said he got the idea of starting a resort while working abroad.

“I worked at an international airport in Dubai for seven years, and I got a chance to visit many countries like Singapore, Switzerland, Italy, France, Georgia and Azerbaijan,” he said.

“These visits were life-changing experiences for me because I learnt how innovation can make things different. I decided to return to Nepal and begin my own business.”

Chhetri started with Rs250,000. He says Nepali youths can live a decent life even in rural areas. Motor vehicles have reached almost all villages nowadays. The situation is different from what it was a decade ago. There are roads and electricity, and more infrastructure is being built in the villages.

Chhetri spent Rs5 million to build the environment-friendly farmhouse resort which is seeing an increased number of visitors lately.

There are fruit trees and a "chautaro”, a resting place under the shade of banyan or peepal trees, to welcome visitors at Chhetri’s farmhouse.

“We have tried to create a peaceful village setting inside the house and its surroundings,” said Chhetri. He and his wife run the resort with the help of four employees.

The resort is spread over 17 ropanis. There are around 1,000 coffee and lemon saplings. Visitors can also go sightseeing on horseback.

Chhetri says they do not use plastic in or outside the house to keep the area environment-friendly. “We have also made a rule not to sell goods made of plastic,” he said.

The visitors can also enjoy camping in the farmhouse.

There are two types of tour packages. The first one, costing Rs1,500 per person, provides meals and a night’s stay in a hall. The second package costs Rs3,500 per night and visitors get a separate room with meals.

The resort’s menu offers a variety of local cuisine.

“Only locally produced food and dairy products are served at the house,” said Chhetri. “Most visitors come in a group, so we offer campfire and barbecue,” said Ghimire.

The guests can meditate or have a chat over a cup of tea or play a musical instrument in thatched roof huts near the main house.

“Besides promoting tourism, the eco farmhouse concept is designed to make the children familiar with their roots and bring them closer to nature,” Chhetri said.

His wife Sweta says she has no regrets about her husband returning to Nepal and living in Deurali. “Our parents too wanted us to live in Nepal,” said Sweta.

Opened in March 2021, the resort gets two to four groups daily. The farmhouse has helped to utilise local produce such as eggs, meat, lentils, milk, ghee and vegetables, among others.